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Lefnry sorrow 
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An Hour with Delsarte 

a ^>tuoy of egression 

BV 

ANNA 'MORGAN 



Grace is the appropriate relation of the persons acting to the action 

Lodge's Winckelmann 



iflllutftrateo bp 

ROSE MUELLER SPRAGUE and MARIAN REYNOLDS 



BOSTON 1889 
LEE AND SHEPARD Publishers 

10 Milk St. next "The Old South Meeting Hovsb" 
NEW YORK CHARLES T. DILLINGHAM 

71S and 720 Broadway 







Copyright, 1889, 
By Lee and Shepard 



©mfrersttg ^«ss 
John Wilson and Son, Cambridge 



TO 



MY PUPILS 



WHO HAVE KINDLY I'OSED FOR THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF 
THESE PAGES 

AND WHOSE ENTHUSIASM AND DEVOTION HAVE SUSTAINED 
AND ENCOURAGED ME IN MY WORK 

IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED. 



Chicago, Jan. i, i88q. 



CONTEN T S. 



Pack 

I. Introductory 7 

II. Importance of Correct Bearing 11 

III. Plea for Flexibility . 15 

IV. Francois Delsarte 19 

V. Philosophy of Delsarte's System 25 

VI. Practical Lesson on Expression 30 

VII. Vital Division 38 

VIII. Mental Division 45 

IX. Emotive Division 49 

X. Delsarte's Nine Laws of Gesture 52 

XI. Gesture . . 58 

XII. The Voice. — Reading 64 

XIII. Teachers. — Exercises for Practice 70 

XIV. Exercises for Harmonic Poise 83 

XV. The Head, Eye, Nose, Mouth, and Mechanical 

Movements 96 

XVI. The Stage. — Conclusion 106 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Let My Sorrow plead for me Frontispit\ i 

F\g. i. A Deplorable Fault 12 

2. Depressed or Hollow Chest 14 

3. Shoulders Elevated 16 

4. Arrogance, Defiance 18 

5. Conceit, Self-Esteem 2c 

6. Natural Poise 22 

7. " Well, sir, what would you ? " 28 

8. "Go!" 34 

9. " I wonder what is love ? " 40 

10. " 'T is n't pleasant to have no place," etc 46 

11. " Look there ! ho, ho, ho ! " 52 

1 2. " Now you stop ! " 

13. " Alas, too late ! " 64 

14. '• I wonder if he loves her — much? 1 ' 70 

15. " Alas, poor soul ! what grief is thine ! '" 72 

16. " Oh, my Goodness me ! " 78 

17. " Now is the time ! " 84 

18. " Mine woes afflict this spirit sore " cyo 

19. u Oh, dear. I forgot all about it ! " 

20. " It can do no harm, poor thing ! " 102 

21. " 'T is said that I am heartless " 108 

22. " No tears can drown my passion of remorse " . . . .114 



AN HOUR WITH DELSARTE 



INTRODUCTORY. 



" T T is every one's duty to look as well as possible " is the 
feminine plea for a pretty dress, and the masculine 
excuse for an overcoat an inch shorter than the one worn 
the previous season ; and if the dress be but ordered from 
a Parisian modiste, and the coat from a London tailor, 
they are worn with full confidence that nothing has been 
left undone to render the personal appearance all that could 
be desired. To be sure, their attention is frequently called 
to their faulty walk and imperfect carriage ; but criticism 
is at once disarmed as they reply, with a toss of the head, 
"Oh, I know it, but I can't help it, that's been in our 
family for years ; my father carried himself that way, and 
it's only natural, you see, that I should do the same." And 
the listener is prone to add, " It 's a wonder you don't cat 
with your knife, just because your grandfather did." 



8 An Hour with Delsarte 

What man or woman cannot recall from earliest childhood 
the maternal reminder, " Handsome is as handsome does," 
after the anxious inquiry, "How do I look, Mamma?" In 
fact, there never was a time when charm of manner was not 
considered above personal adornment ; but with the advance- 
ment of the age has come the demand for something more 
than mere unmeaning grace. 

To Francois Delsarte, more than to any other man, is due 
the credit of opening our eyes to the possibility of adding 
strength and expression to our movements, as well as grace 
and ease. His opponents have unwittingly done much to 
heighten public interest in his teachings ; their scoffing has 
only served to whet curiosity and bring the subject of the 
aesthetic cultivation of the body into equal prominence with 
kindred arts. Hitherto the subject of physical culture has 
suggested only the gymnasium, with visions of Indian clubs, 
dumb-bells, and various other violent exercises for the de- 
velopment of muscle ; but, thanks to the genius of Delsarte, 
we are in possession of means whereby we may obtain mus- 
cular strength, but not at the expense of flexibility, which is 
the basis of grace. He has given us a perfect method by 
which we may not only obtain freedom and elasticity of 
action, but one which adds force and meaning to our every 
movement. It frees the body from all restrictions, and ren- 
ders it as it should be, — subservient to its master, the will. 




Introductory 9 

It should be the training of every child from its cradle, and 

then there would be no bias of birth or custom to overcome 
in later years. 

The purpose of this little book is to popularize this study 
by freeing it from the technical phraseology usually em- 
ployed in treating the subject, and while endeavoring to 
interest the trained intellect, to present it in a manner 
comprehensible to the average mind. A suggestion to the 
intelligent is enough to convey the idea; but unless the 
mind possesses the attributes of taste and judgment, a living 
teacher is necessary to the execution of the plan. 
• Except in rare instances, printed directions for practice 
are found to be valueless, because of their constant mis- 
interpretation. Equally disastrous are the consequences of 
taking pattern or modelling after an incompetent instructor ; 
and unless the pupil is able to discriminate between the 
genuine and the counterfeit article, he is almost certain to 
suffer from the effects of incorrect training. The best test 
of the student's permanent and practical gain is the readi- 
ness with which he clothes the idea in his own language, his 
ability to recognize it in whatever form it ma}- be presented, 
and practically to apply it. 

This, experience has shown, is the only conclusive evi- 
dence of progress, and that this progress may be the more 
rapid, the memory should not at first be taxed with a 



io An Hour with Delsarte 

burden of scientific facts ; merely the fundamental princi- 
ples at the base of the art should be learned and their 
application understood. The pupil's attention should be 
directed to the study of himself as the first step to a 
knowledge of others, and an assistance to him in observ- 
ing nature and studying art. In this way he learns to 
analyze the movements of his body and intelligently to 
interpret and classify them. 

If in the succeeding chapters we have presented the ideas 
which Delsarte has evolved, in words which all may under- 
stand, and from which the reader may form a practical 
acquaintance with the subject, the object of our work wilL 
have been accomplished. And if in this endeavor it should 
be objected by some that we have been over-explicit at 
times, we can only say, in justification of our course, that 
we would rather be criticised on this score than to be 
misunderstood. 



Importance of Correct Bearing 



II. 

IMPORTANCE OF CORRECT BEARING. 

FT AS it ever occurred to us that we arc constantly crcat 
ing impressions by our unconscious expressions, and 
in consequence are possibly being judged sickly, weak, 
conceited, vain, or vulgar? People form their estimates of 
our character, not necessarily through our language, for 
perhaps they have never heard us speak, nor through the 
expression of our faces alone, but through the bearing of 
our entire bodies. 

Which of us has not accurately determined traits oi char- 
acter in persons with whom we have never exchanged a 
word, merely from the poise or carriage of their bodies? 
This is not to be wondered at when we consider that the 
body is but the outward symbol and development of the 
real or inner self. 

Then, it may be asked, " How shall we hope to escape the 
truths of character if Nature thus inevitably stamps our 
minds upon our forms? " And the answer is, " Bring the 
outward manifestation of the impression you wish to create 
daily and hourly into the consciousness, and it will soon 



12 An Hour with Delsarte 

become second nature, and will take the place of the unat- 
tractive and consequently undesirable appearance." "Must 
we all sit alike?" I hear a bright little girl ask the ques- 
tion. No, not unless you wish to imitate a row of lay 
figures ; there is no fixed mode by which we must all either 
sit, stand, or walk alike. 

An attitude which would be natural and becoming to one 
of us might appear constrained and awkward in another; 
but there are certain forms of action common to us all, 
which we take as the standard by which we measure faults 
and excellences. 

Most of us have habits acquired or inherited which, meas- 
ured by this standard, are not correct. A judicious teacher, 
instead of obliging all his pupils to obey a fixed rule of 
expression, will consider and provide for their individual 
requirements just as the competent physician prescribes for 
the various ailments of his respective patients. Quinine 
is no doubt a valuable medicine ; but were a doctor to ad- 
minister it to all of his patients it would be no more 
absurd than the manner in which the art of expression has 
frequently been treated. 

An easy and correct bearing is the first essential, — the 
one which was intended for you by Nature, before you were 
deformed by habit or custom. As no two of us are con- 
structed exactly alike in any particular, either of mind, 




Fig. i. — A Deplorable Fault. 

Pag* i.v 



Importance of Correct Bearing 1 3 

temperament, or physique, it must follow that our faults 

and excellences will partake of this dissimilarity. 

One of the most deplorable faults of bearing is produced 
by giving an undue prominence to the abdomen, and is 
emphasized by carrying the hands directly over it (see 
Fig. 1). Observation need not be confined to the lower 
classes for this glaring fault; one would have no difficulty 
in finding it in the higher grades of society, where it is 
unpardonable. 

An attitude which mars the appearance and damages the 
health is where the chest is habitually passive, finally becom- 
ing hollow (see Fig. 2). This attitude, while often induced 
by a delicate constitution and weak lungs, is no doubt fre- 
quently the cause of debilitated breathing; it suggests ill- 
health, timidity, and helplessness. Children having this 
habit are vaguely directed to "Straighten up;" nine times 
out of ten they mechanically raise the shoulders, thereby 
shortening the neck and giving a deformed appearance to 
the upper part of the body (see Fig. 3). 

Two forms of bearing which one frequently observes, and 
which are certainly not attractive, are the habitual attitudes 
of arrogance and self-conceit: the first is produced by throw- 
ing the weight on the back leg and earning the shoulders 
upward and backward (see Fig. 4) ; the second by a con- 
spicuous presentation of the chest, which asks without words. 



14 An Hour with Dels arte 

"Do you know who I am?" (see Fig. 5). It is desirable 
that we should cultivate an attractive habit of bearing, that 
the impressions we create may be agreeable ones : substi- 
tute the correct bearing clearly and regularly in place of the 
false one, which will thus disappear " ere we are aware." 

It is an art to assert one's self, make one's presence felt, 
without seeming officious ; and the few who succeed inevi- 
tably become conspicuous ornaments of society. The first 
step toward obtaining this desirable result is to cultivate 
an appearance of bodily repose. Do not confound bodily 
repose with mental sluggishness. One is not necessarily 
stupid because his arms and head are not flying in all 
directions. 

A natural poise is shown when one stands with one foot 
slightly in advance of the other, the weight resting easily on 
the balls of the feet (see Fig. 6). When activity begins the 
attitude changes ; as you speak there is a transition of the 
weight of the bo'dy to the advanced foot. 

If the body is properly poised, the arms will naturally take 
care of themselves, and will fall easily in front of the hips. 
There is no mistake a teacher could be guilty of which would 
be more inexcusable than that of giving directions for the 
use of the hands and arms without first correcting all imper- 
fections of carriage or bearing. 




Fig. 2. — Depressed or Hollow Chest. 



Plea far Flexibility 



III. 



PLEA FOR FLEXIBILITY. 



"II ^^ beautifully you perform ! " said I one da)' to a 
pianist; and she replied, "Yes, but my performing, 
beautiful as it appears, represents many years of patient 
practice under skilful masters; I have given five hours a 
day for several years to preliminary practice alone." If this 
be true of an art, the exercise of which requires trained 
fingers merely, with how much more force does it apply 
to one in which the entire body is concerned ! 

The lack of training in art is most apparent when there 
is the greatest absence of flexibility, which is the basis 
of freedom, and is essential to grace in expression. We 
have seen the enormities of physical bearing which vices of 
habit and custom have entailed upon us, and the necessity 
we are under of removing them before we are able to con- 
form to a standard of natural grace. 

In other words, we must free the bod}' from the stiffness 
of individuality by yielding it up to the claims of univer- 
sality. We must break down error before we can build 
up truth. This object is attained in physical training by 



)6 A11 Hour with Dels arte 

surrendering the body to the discipline of an aesthetical 
gymnastic drilling. 

Delsarte's inventive genius has furnished us a series of 
mechanical exercises which subject all the joints and muscles 
to a flexing or freeing process, which is the first step 
toward restoring them to the pliancy of unconscious free- 
dom. They destroy that unbending muscular rigidity largely 
imposed by conventionality, and infuse an air of elastic in- 
dependence, — so fundamental an element in a graceful car- 
riage. They correct all faults of negligent personal habit, 
and overcome hereditary tendencies which sometimes, if 
unchecked, result in grave consequences to health. These 
are among the purposes of Delsarte's scheme of mechanical 
movements. 

As every part of the body is concerned in expression, 
it should be uniformly cultivated throughout. The custom, 
therefore, among vocalists of training the voice to the neg- 
lect of the other agents of expression is no less absurd than 
were the preparations of the immature dramatic student, who 
took a course of reading lessons, a pair of top-boots, and a 
sword, and went upon the stage. 

Public entertainers, like pianists and concert singers, whose 
professions do not call into active practice more than one set 
of muscles, are very apt to overlook their shortcomings in 
the matter of personal bearing, until unpleasantly reminded 




Fig. 3. — Shoulders Elevated. 

Pag* 13 



Plea for Flexibility 



'7 



of their reality by a painful sense of consciousness when the 
moment for appearing arrives. Thus the effect of many 

an otherwise artistic effort has been sadly marred and some- 
times utterly ruined through lack of that complacent ease 
born of confidence in a becoming manner. 

A general cultivation of the entire body should form the 
preliminary training or groundwork upon which to build up 
a special education for any art, and the resulting flexibility 
and control of all the muscles is of the greatest assistance 
in subjugating the set of muscles expressly exercised in a 
particular pursuit. 

As the judicious use of these exercises is productive of 
immeasurable good, so on the other hand is their improper 
practice harmful in the extreme. Unskilful exponents of 
Delsarte, mistaking the purpose of these mechanical move- 
ments, have done much to bring his labors into disrepute. 
Their pupils usually make ridiculous exhibitions of them- 
selves by the agonizing sinuosities which they throw into 
their gestures, and the airy nothingness which pervades all 
their movements. Good taste would promptly reject such 
antics as a silly travesty of nature. But the cause of Delsarte 
has suffered so much from this misapprehension, that the 
mention of his name recalls to many people only the specta- 
cle of a group of expressionless girls languidly waving their 
arms in the air. 



1 8 An Hour with Delsarle 

A young lady, applying to me one day for instruction, 
assured me that her father was "just disgusted with those 
weak Delsarte movements ; he wants me to take up some- 
thing with some strength to it." Here Delsarte was con- 
demned on account of the limited vision of his interpreter. 

The end of art is to conceal art, and the study of Delsarte 
is a means to this end. It seeks to provide a plan of self- 
cultivation in harmony with the lines of natural impulse ; to 
assist, not to improve upon, nature is its aim. 

The eminent actor and elocutionist, Mr. James E. Mur- 
doch, in his admirable work, " A Plea for Spoken Lan- 
guage," ably bears out this idea; he says: — 

" We would have true, natural expression idealized into its high- 
est possibilities of beauty, grace, and power; to illustrate : All the 
strong passions of the mind communicate themselves, as we have 
seen, so suddenly and irresistibly to the body that vehement ges- 
ticulations and impassioned tones are the result. These tones and 
gesticulations are, no doubt, natural, but they are not always the 
most perfect or graceful expressions of nature. . . . Nature may 
readily run into deformity ; and it must be the purpose of art and 
cultivation to conceal or remove all deformities, for art is called in, 
not to pervert, but to refine and exalt nature. 

Nature, it is true, will accomplish much without art in all human 
operations, and art will be of no avail without nature ; but it is only 
by a combination of the two that we can produce perfection m 
anything that is the workmanship of man." 




Fir;. 4. — Arrogance, Defiance. 



Francois Delsarte 



IV. 

FRANCOIS DELSARTE. 

\ \ 7"E have already stated that Delsarte has done more 
than any other man to create a general interest in 
the subject of the aesthetic cultivation of the body as a 
means of expression ; and before proceeding farther with an 
account of his discoveries and inventions, we desire to record 
a few of the many interesting episodes with which the life 
of this illustrious artist was crowded. He was born No- 
vember ii, 1811, at Solesme, France, and died in Paris 
July 20, 1 87 1. Like most men of genius, his boyhood years 
were full of privation and suffering. His father, who was 
a physician, possessed a very proud and imperious nature, 
which was greatly irritated by his extreme poverty ; in con- 
sequence of which he treated Delsarte's mother, who was 
a woman of rare abilities, with such injustice and cruelty 
that she was finally compelled to abandon him and flee with 
her two sons to Paris, where she died before she could make 
her talents available. Francois's little brother soon followed 
his mother, dying of starvation and cold in his brother's 

arms. 

3 



20 An Hour with Delsarte 

Thus we find Delsarte in 1821, a little boy of ten years, 
in the utmost destitution and entirely alone in the world. 
One night he was found in the street by a rag-picker, who 
took pity on him and carried him to his miserable home. 
During the next two years, while in this man's employ, 
he developed his grand passion for music, and invented 
a system of musical notation, in order to preserve the 
airs which delighted him when listening to the bands of 
music and itinerant singers which he encountered in the 
streets. 

At thirteen years of age Delsarte was discovered in the 
garden of the Tuileries by Bambini, an eminent professor 
of music, who found him writing figures in the sand. When 
questioned as to the significance of the marks, he replied 
that he was writing down the music which was being played 
in the garden. Amazed, Bambini inquired who had taught 
him the process; he replied, "Nobody, sir; I found it out 
myself." 

" Thus in the dust of Paris were first written the elements 
of a system destined to regenerate art." Bambini took the 
boy home, and instructed him until the pupil became greater 
than the master. At fourteen Delsarte's talents secured him 
admission to the Conservatory, where, by observation of Na- 
ture and a careful study of cause and effect, he soon de- 
veloped a style of his own which was radically different from 




Fig. 5. — Conceit. Self-Esteem. 

Page 14. 



Francois Dels arte 2 1 

those of his teachers, at whose hands he received nothing but 
discouragement. 

Delsarte was led to follow the promptings of his own 
genius through the praises of Malibran and Adolphe Nourrit, 

who predicted that he would be a great artist. His indomi- 
table will and perseverance at last secured him an interview 
with the director of the Opera Comique, who, upon seeing 
Delsarte's ragged clothes, declined even to give him the 
office of call-boy, the only position then vacant, to which 
Delsarte replied, " Monsieur, if my clothes are poor, my 
art is genuine ; I am prepared to fill the position of premier 
sujet among your singers." The manager finally consented 
to hear him sing, which resulted in his offering Delsarte an 
engagement for a year at a salary of ten thousand francs. 
The failure of his voice compelled him to retire from the 
lyric stage in 1834, four years from the time of having 
made his first appearance before an audience, which was 
electrified. 

Delsarte possessed great courtliness of manner, in which 
there was nothing of self-assertion ; his form was massive, 
and his eye brilliant; and when he sang, his exquisite voice. 
" aided in effect by those imperial gestures of which he 
had already discovered the secret," found its way to every 
heart. 

Upon his retirement from the stage Delsarte decided to 



22 An Hour with Dels arte 

devote himself to perfecting a system which should give a 
solid foundation to the art of expression, and one which 
should recognize the limitations, no less than the possibili- 
ties, of the individual. He obtained a perfect knowledge 
of the uses and capabilities of the muscles through a con- 
scientious study of anatomy and physiology, and he spared 
no pains or labor to perfect the system which was his special 
life work, and on which his fame rests. 

Delsarte's natural modesty kept him withdrawn from the 
glare of publicity, and during life he was little known outside 
of his immediate circle, in which were included men and 
women of rank and fortune, and members of the reigning 
families of Europe, who sought his instruction as a means 
of rendering them personally more attractive for the position 
which they occupied in 'social life. The names of Rachel, 
Sontag, Macready, Madeleine Brohan, and Pasca are among 
Delsarte's professional pupils ; while equally distinguished 
names, including that of Pere Hyacinthe, are among the 
number to whom he gave instruction in pulpit oratory. 

Born in poverty, early deprived of home influences and 
maternal love, Delsarte's genius carried him, after nine years 
of unremitting labor, to a brief career before an admiring 
public, to which, after his retirement, owing to a firm relig- 
ious conviction, he would never return = He died at the age 
of sixty years, comparatively unknown, even in his own city. 




Fig. 6. — Natural Poisf. 

Pagi 14. 



Francois Delsarte 

Delsarte's friends have patiently borne the ridicule which 

has been heaped upon him, knowing and believing that hi> 
greatness will shine brighter and brighter in future j 

because the principles which he evolved are founded upon 
truth, and " Truth will abide." 

Inquiries regarding Delsarte and his wonderful system 
by no means confined to those directly interested in the 
subject; one hears the question asked everywhere,- -on the 
street, in the parlor, and in public places. It has been so 
variously and incorrectly answered that people have formed 
very ludicrous notions on the subject ; some foolishly be- 
lieving that the " Delsarte System " was intended to teach 
us to sit, walk, and move about after a new fashion, and 
other notions, too absurd to have been dreamt of in Del- 
sarte's philosophy, or in any other. 

Now, then, laying aside all those follies and divesting the 
subject of its technical dress, Delsartism, in brief, is a phase 
of nature idealized, that is, freed from those features which 
would tend to direct the mind from a contemplation of it> 
beauties, the preservation of which is primarily the object 
of all art. Delsarte's death in the year 1S71 prevented, it 
is said, a visit which he intended making to this country for 
the purpose of introducing the subject of his studies here. 
It is greatly to be deplored that this visit was never made. 
as it miufht have been the occasion of his leaving some 



24 An Hour with Delsarte 

indisputable record of his works ; but it is a lamentable fact 
that he died without having committed to durable form 
any complete account of his extraordinary labors in behalf 
of aesthetic science. 

In view of this fact we are greatly indebted to such of 
Delsarte's pupils as were in possession of his manuscripts, 
and to others who have made careful research into the 
subject, for having made a conscientious endeavor to give 
us a correct arrangement of Delsarte's system of expression 
as formulated by himself. 

Without wishing to criticise these various published 
accounts, to our mind many of Delsarte's formulas, as 
presented, seem impracticable, because of the scientific ter- 
minology in which they are framed, and deal, beside, with 
details too minute, and touch considerations too remote, 
to be successfully applied to study or exemplified in 
practice, however important they may be to the theorist, 
the sage, or the scientist. 



Philosophy of Dclsarlcs System 25 



V. 

PHILOSOPHY OF DELSARTE'S SYSTEM. 

I" T was Dclsarte's great discovery that the human soul, 
in its covering of flesh called the body, moves in 
obedience to universal law; that its efforts to manifest it- 
self to the outer world are restricted to the conditions 
imposed by space, time, and motion, — the three great ele- 
ments by which its activities are inevitably environed ; that 
the soul must express itself in space, through time, by mo- 
tion, — in other words, every agent of expression must 
appear in space by means of motion, and requires time 
in which to manifest itself; and finally, that the force by 
which this motion is produced is supplied by the soul, or 
psychic principle, and is of three different kinds, each cor- 
responding to the three states of the being which it trans- 
lates in expression. 

Thus, when this force causes motion outward, or from 
the body, it is said to proceed from our physical nature, 
and is called Vital ; when this force causes motion inward, 
or toward the body, it is said to proceed from our intel- 
lectual nature, and is called Mental ; and when this force is 



26 An Hour with Delsarte 

poised, — that is, when it neither causes motion from nor 
toward the body, but tends to hold the body in poise, — it 
is said to proceed from the emotional nature, and is called 
Emotive. 

In every human being one of these three natures, or 
states of the being, as they are called, is predominant, while 
the other two are tributary or subordinate ; and the degree 
of this predominance of the one state, and the order of 
importance of the other two, are the root and source of all 
the various types and traits in mankind. 

For example, a man of intellectual habit, or one in whom 
the mental is predominant, will reveal his nature through 
subjective motion, or motion which is mainly toward the 
body. On the contrary, in a man in whom the vital nature 
leads, the motion will be chiefly objective, or from the 
body; and if the emotional nature rules, the motion will 
be neither directly subjective nor objective, but may par- 
take of either, according to the extent to which the emo- 
tional nature is invaded by the mental or the vital. 

Again, every act of life has its rise in one of these three 
states of the being, and traces its motion and motive 
to one of them. This predominant state is said to lead, 
while the other two assist or follow the former, and the 
resulting action corresponds to the state from whence it 
proceeds. 



Philosophy of Delsartes System 27 

Thus we find the scat of sensation in the physical na- 
ture, which is also the source of vitality, and reveals itself 

through outward or objective motion. The seat of sen- 
timent is in the emotive nature, which is the source of 
the highest emotions of the soul ; it reveals itself through 
centred or poised motion. 

The seat of consciousness is in the mental nature, which 
is the source of thought, and is revealed through subjective 
or inward motion. It should be borne in mind here that 
this division of the soul into separate states is purely an 
arbitrary distinction, and is made for the purpose of facili- 
tating analytical study. It is a matter of convenience 
merely, and has no existence in fact. 

The testimony of the eminent psychologist, Thomas 
Carlyle, is adduced in support of this position : — 

" We talk of faculties as if they were distinct things, separable ; 
as if a man had intellect, imagination, fancy, etc., as he has hands. 
feet, and arms. Then again we hear of a man's ' intellectual na- 
ture ' and of his ' moral nature ' as if these again were divisible, and 
existed apart. Necessities of language do prescribe such forms of 
utterance, but words ought not to harden into things for us. We 
ought to know withal, and to keep forever in mind, that these 
divisions are at bottom but names ; that man's spiritual nature, 
the vital force that dwells within him. is essentially one and 
indivisible. 

" All that a man does is physiognomical of him ; you may 



Philosophy oj Delsartes System 29 

able to illustrate the logic of the science than t< 
a practical purpose for general study. 

The application of this three-fold principle, which is 
the basis of Delsarte's philosophy, is considered under 
appropriate headings in the subsequent chapters. 1 



1 It has been the object in these chapters to discuss the study <>f expression 
from its most practical and least theoretical side-. To those, however, who 
desire to enter into a more philosophical investigation of the question, with 
a view to grasping the relations of the physical to the metaphysical man, 
"The Synthetic Philosophy of Expression," by Moses True Brown, is heartily 
recommended as being the most comprehensive, logical, and exhaustive con- 
sideration of the subject in present use. 



2>o An Hour with Delsarte 

VI. 

PRACTICAL LESSON ON EXPRESSION. 

T N the first chapter we insisted that the only way to be 
certain the pupil comprehends the subject, and that the 
result desired has been obtained, is to demand from him the 
idea in his own words. To farther illustrate our plan, we 
will undertake to conduct a practical lesson on the subject 
of " Expression " before an average class of pupils. 

" Good morning, young ladies and gentlemen. In our 
previous lessons I have done most of the talking, in order 
to give you a general idea of the requirements of the stud}'. 
That I may discover how much thinking you have done, I 
shall now reverse matters, and you must give me the infor- 
mation. We will begin by asking Miss Mary to tell us what 
we are here to study." 

Mary's face radiates sunshine as she readily attempts to 
reply. She hesitates, however, and then, on taking second 
thought, the sunshine disappears behind a cloud. 

"Why, it's to study — oh, it's to study — oh, it's — why, 
it's to — oh, I know, but I can't just tell." 

" Ah, but you have heard it said that if you can't tell, you 
don't know." 



Practical Lesson on Expression 31 

"Well, then," returns Miss Mary, courageously resuming 

the attack, " it s to stud)' elocution." 

"Then you think we arc here merely to learn how to 
read? " 

" Oh, I know that is n't right," admits the young lady, 
"but I can't exactly express it." 

" Miss G., perhaps you can assist us in finding out what 
we are here to study?" 

Miss G. proceeds with more caution: "Well, I think it is 
to learn the art of acting." 

11 Very true, but that is not all , besides, we are not all 
studying for the stage. Tell me in one word what we are 
here to study." 

" Delsarte ! " triumphantly shouts little Miss A 

" Miss A. says ' Delsarte,' but she forgets that Delsarte 
is a means, not an end. Now, then, to what end are we 
studying?" 

"It's to learn dramatic expression,'' ventures thoughtful 
Miss L. 

"Very true, indeed;" and all the others regard Miss L. 
with little glances of envy. " But why say ' dramatic expres- 
sion'?" The glances of envy are withdrawn. "Tell me in 
one word the end and object of our studies.'' 

" Expression," choruses the class. 

"Right! We are here to master the art of expression. 



32 An Hour with Dels arte 

Now, then, let us emblazon that word in large letters here on 
the blackboard, so that it will stand out conspicuously from 
all other words, and so that we may keep it constantly before 
our minds, — that the great end and object of our studies is 
expression; not dramatic expression, not facial expression, 
but expression only, — expression, pure and simple. Now, 
then, I want some one to tell me what we understand by 
expression. Miss S., what do you understand by the term 
' expression '? " 

Miss S. looks as if she occupied a position of extreme 
peril, and fears to hazard a reply. The others show a fellow- 
sympathy for her distress. Presently she falters, "Ahem! 
it's — er — ah — it's — er, well, I'm sure I don't know, — if 
it isn't the expression of our faces." 

"Is expression confined then to our faces? Give me a 
comprehensive reply in your own choice of language that 
will answer the question, ' What is expression ? ' You tell 
us, Miss K." 

"Why, expression," urges Miss K., desperately, "shows 
how we feel, how we act, how we look." 

" But you are a little mixed ; our feelings are a subject 
of expression, and our looks and actions are modes of 
expression. I want you to reply to me as to a stranger 
who seeks enlightenment on the subject. Mr. R., what do 
you say expression is?" 



Practical Lesson on Expression 



jj 



"Well," observes Mr. R., learnedly, " I think expression i^ 

the sum of all our actions." 

" A very ingenious, but scarcely an instructive, reply. 

There is doubtless a great deal expressed in the sum total 
of our actions, but that does not help us to understand 
what the term ' expression ' signifies in the sense we are 
using it." 

" It means actions," exclaims some one, thinking to profit 
by the brevity of the first definition ; " Feeling," says 
another, seizing on the same mental thread; "The expres- 
sion of emotion," says a third ; and then some one calls 
out, as if by inspiration, " It is a sign of the state of the 
mind." 

" Ah, there we have it. ' A sign of the state of the 
mind,' with a slight alteration, and we are out of the diffi- 
culty." And at this, each one feverishly begins to formu- 
late a reply based on this idea. 

"The outward expression of the mind." suggests one; 
"The sign of thought," submits another; "The manifesta- 
tion of life," essays a third; and a fourth, "The outward 
sign of human nature." 

" Very good, indeed; each of your answers embodies the 
idea. Now, out of these various definitions let us form one 
that will exactly state the meaning in the fewest, simplest 
words; and remember that words mean just what we under- 



34 ^^ Hour with Delsarte 

stand by them and nothing more. Let us say then that 
expression is a sign of the being; and while I am writing 
the words on the blackboard opposite the word ' expres- 
sion,' please turn them over in your minds so that we may 
agree exactly as to our understanding of them. Now, then, 
we will proceed one step farther, and I will ask you what 
meaning you attach to the word ' being.' Mr. A., what 
do you understand by the word ? " 

Having now become warmed to the subject, the timid 
have put by their reserve, and the doubtful have grown bold ; 
so Mr. A. promptly answers, "I think 'being' means the 
soul." " No, the mind," corrects another, in his ardor for- 
getting his courtesy. " Life," " Vitality," " Existence," sug- 
gest various others in the same breath. 

"Again, you are each of you right; but again, for the 
purpose of agreeing in our understanding, let us unite on a 
common definition that will convey to each of us the same 
meaning. Remembering now what we said about words, 
that they mean just what we understand by them, let us 
take Webster's definition of the word ' being : ' ' Being is 
that which exists in any way, whether it be material or 
spiritual.' Now, then, we have said that expression is a 
sign of the being. I will ask you, Mr. B., to exem- 
plify or apply that definition in your own person by some 
action." 



P racht a I I. 



.essoti on 



Exftr 



YSStO// 






Mr. B. reflects an instant, during an impressive silence, 

and then admits that he is unable to do so, at the same time 
shifting in his seat and crossing his legs with embarrassment 

in his manner. 

" Why did you shift so in your seat and cross your legs 
when you replied? " 

"Well," he continues, more confused than ever, " 1 scarcely 
know; I suppose it's because I was a little nervous." 

".Exactly, because you were a little nervous; you are 
not in the habit, I see, of analyzing these signs of your be- 
ing; you answered my question unconsciously. The cr 
ing of your legs and the shifting about in your chair plainly 
revealed or expressed the state of your feelings, and was 
therefore a sign of your being. Now tell me what you un- 
derstand by expression, Mr. B." 

Promptly comes the reply: " Expression shows the condi- 
tion or state of the feelings." 

" Precisely. And the feelings are a part of what. Miss V. ? " 

She hesitates. 

" Can an>' one tell? " 

" The being," comes from several. 

" And the mind is a part of what? " 

"The soul, — no, no. the being." 

" And the soul? " 

" The being." 



36 An Hour with Dels arte 

" Is there any attribute of man, mental, emotive, or vital, 
material or spiritual, that is not a part of the being? " 

" None." 

" If I prick you with a pin and you cry out, what does 
that mean, Miss V. ?" 

" It means that I am hurt." 

"True, but does your cry express anything?" 

" It expresses pain." 

"And the act of crying is the sign of what?" 

" A sign of the being." 

" If I hand you a problem in arithmetic and ask you to 
solve it, and in return you speak a number, what might we 
call your answer, Mr. A.?" 

" An expression of the mind." 

"Which is a sign of what?" 

" A sign of the being." 

" If I were suddenly to bring you intelligence of some 
terrible calamity to your family, and you were to faint at 
hearing the news, what would the act of fainting signify or 
express, Miss L. ? " 

" It would express grief or sorrow." 

" Which is a sign of what? " 

" The being." 

" If I prick the skin of a dead person, there would be 
no response. Why, MissF.?" 



Practical Lesson on Expression 



o/ 



•• Because the person is dead." 

"Why is the person dead?" 

An awkward pause; then, after a moment of profound de- 
liberation, " Because the spirit has Med." 

" And the spirit is what?" 

" The being." 

•' But we said a moment since that the body was a part 
of the being; in the dead person we have the body still. 
yet you say the being is gone." 

" Oh, yes, I know now ; the spirit is a part of the being." 

" Exactly; then the body is essential to the being as well 
as the soul?" 

" Yes." 

" And if I prick the skin of a dead person, why will he 
make no sign; that is, express nothing?" 

" Because the body without the soul is not a being." 

" Precisely, because the being no longer exists. Now let 
us write this on the blackboard, following the last definition, 
and our lesson reads: — 



Expression 7 



( The Sign of the Being. 

1 The Being is Soul and Body.' 



o 



8 An Hour with Delsarte 



VII. 

VITAL DIVISION. 

I" T will be remembered that Delsarte divided the body 
into three ^rand divisions, to correspond with the 
vital, mental, and emotive states of our being, because 
each seemed to select one of these as its principal agent 
of expression as if by preference ; and that he also subdi- 
vided these grand divisions into tracts or zones from which 
and to which the hand and arm in gesture seemed to move 
naturally. 

In the grand divisions he selected the limbs as the prin- 
cipal agents of the vital nature, because they disclose the 
greatest power of action and physical strength. They are 
the levers which sustain motion, and among the more ani- 
mal races, the lower the grade of intelligence, the higher 
the degree of muscular development attained in the ex- 
ercise of these members. They are simply the manifes- 
tation of vital life. As man becomes civilized and refined 
there is a greater freedom in the movements of the arms 
and legs, showing a blending of the mental and emotional 
natures with the vital ; and they perform a varied service 



/ ttal Division 

in connection with the head and torso in the function of 

expression. 

In the divisions of the leg, Delsarte designates the 
upper leg, or thigh, as vital because the impelling force 
which gives impulse to the leg in walking is first felt 
here. His reason for ascribing to the lower leg the office 
of revealing the emotional nature is admirably shown in 
the act of kneeling, when we would express a subordina- 
tion of self to the will of others in supplication, entreaty, 
appeal, reverence, and obedience. 

Xo argument is required to prove even to the satisfac- 
tion of the most sceptical that the foot is the direct agent 
of the mental nature. How often we detect a person's 
nervous mental state through the unconscious tapping of 
the foot upon the floor ! Our intention to advance or re- 
treat is gestured by the feet. / We will endeavor to show- 
that the ruling condition or sentiment of the individual is 
indicated in the position of the feet, as evinced in the 
following illustrations drawn from familiar attitudes. 

If the feet are separated, one slightly in advance of the 
other, the weight resting on the balls of the feet, it indi- 
cates repose or poise of the being. Emotive nature pre- 
dominates (see Fig. 6). 

If there is a transition of the weight to the front of the 
foot, the motion beinir outward or from the centre, we con 



40 An Hour with Delsarte 

elude that it is impelled from the vital nature ; if. on the 
other hand, the transition of the weight is toward the back 
of the foot, inward or toward the centre, it shows that the 
mental nature directs the action. If the weight of the 
body rests mainly upon the back leg, and the knee of 
the advanced leg is bent, it indicates reserved force, 
thought, reflection. It shows that the mind of the indi- 
vidual rules ; that he is a thinker. Mental nature pre- 
dominates. 

If the feet are slightly separated and pointing directly 
forward, it indicates rusticity, or a feeble condition, as a 
child learning to walk. Vital nature predominates. 

If the attitude is not natural, but has been assumed, it 
indicates that the inferior stands before the superior in 
the person of the valet, or the soldier. Emotive nature 
active. 

If the legs are wide apart, we are led to infer that the 
person is either in a state of fatigue or intoxication, or that 
he is familiarly vulgar. The attitude denotes also brag- 
ging, pomposity, and bluster; vital nature predominating. 

If the condition is that of prostration, the weight will 
be upon the back leg, the knee bent, the forward leg free ; 
vital nature prominent. 

When the weight of the body rests entirely upon the 
back foot, and both legs are straight, it shows a state of 




ve 



Vital Division 



4i 



antagonism, defiance, or daring; vital nature predomina- 
ting (see Fig, 4). 

If the feet are separated and the weight is borne equally 
on both, the posture indicates indecision, doubt, or delib- 
eration: "Shall I go or stay, advance or retreat?" Mental 
nature predominating. 

If the forward knee is bent, it shows attention or in- 
tention, and reveals a vehement or passionate tendency ; 
either vital or emotive nature predominating. 

When the weight rests upon one foot and the knee is 
straight, the other leg free and the foot resting on its side, 
the attitude indicates a listening state or one of eager sus- 
pense ; equal predominance of the mental and emotive. 

When a person is in a state of exaltation, the weight 
will rest upon the advanced foot, the back leg entirely 
free and the knee straight; the degree of feeling will de- 
termine whether the back foot rests fully upon the ground 
or is raised ; in this, emotive nature predominates. 

These attitudes of the feet and legs, revealing the men- 
tal, vital, and emotional conditions, should be carefully 
considered, as well as the innumerable variations arising 
from the diversity of sentiments and emotions. They should 
be analyzed and practically applied as necessity or occasion 
may require. 

The arm, like the leg, reveals the activity of the vital 



42 An Hour with Delsarte 

nature, and, as an agent of expression, has three centres 
of motion : that of the shoulder, which as a subdivision 
Delsarte designates as vital because the force from the 
brain seems to flow into the upper arm first, thus moving 
all other parts from this centre. While the action of the 
shoulders is vital in significance, they are also moved by 
our higher emotions ; in consequence Delsarte called the 
shoulder a thermometer or indicator of sensibility or pas- 
sion, leaving the face to determine whether the action 
springs from love or hate. 

The emotive nature is revealed through the second 
centre at the elbow. When in repose it indicates ease, 
modesty, and self-possession. When turned outward from 
the body it indicates conceit, tenderness, self-assertion ; 
when turned inward toward the body it indicates weakness, 
humility, subordination of self. The third centre in the 
arm reveals the mental nature through the motion of the 
wrist, which is the direct agent of the hand ; it directs 
the hand, presents it, and therefore requires great cultiva- 
tion in order to render it supple, free, and strong. 

The attitudes of the arms, like those of the legs, reveal 
the ruling state in the being or individual. 

There is no part of the human body, unless we except 
the face, more significant in its actions than that of the 
hand ; for while " the eye may be trained to deceive, the 



/ 'ital Division 43 

features may be schooled to assume a stolid indiffen 

under circumstances of mental emotion, the impulsive 
pressure or involuntary movement of the hand frequently 

betrays the truth. The motions of the hand add force to 
argument, and often speak a silent language of their own, 
portraying fear, astonishment, or grief beyond the power 
of words to convey." 

To the hand are assigned various offices which it is 
impossible for the face to express. " It can handle the 
object, sketch it, and project it in form into space." We 
draw, paint, play, work, and write with the hand ; we de- 
fine, indicate, affirm, deny, mould, detect, conceal, reveal, 
surrender, hold, accept, reject, inquire, acquire, support, 
assail, caress, and protect. All the knowledge of the deaf 
and dumb is acquired through a language which is revealed 
by the hand. 

Each of the three states of being is disclosed through 
the hand ; it lends itself to whichever state predominates 
in activity, and, like the leg and arm, indicates the con- 
dition of the being. For instance, if the fingers are folded 
in the palm with the thumb upright at the side of the first 
finger, it indicates a condition of self-possession and power; 
if, instead of resting at the side, the thumb is pressed 
tightly across the second joints of the closed fingers, reso- 
lution or struggle is indicated. 



44 An Hour with Dels arte 

If the fingers and thumb are crooked at the first joint,, 
toward centre of palm, it indicates a condition of exas- 
peration; if the hand is nearly closed it is that of convul- 
sion. Animated attention is shown by the open hand, 
fingers straight, thumb slightly spread. If the hand is 
prone it signifies earnestness; if the fingers are energized 
it indicates passion and vehemence. Trust and tender- 
ness are revealed through the open palm with the ends, 
of the fingers slightly curved. 



Mental Division 45 



VIII. 

MENTAL DIVISION. 

TN the grand divisions of the body the head is the special 
agent of the mental nature; it contains the brain, the 
organ of the mind, the development of which is shown 
in the formation of the cranium and face, which, taken 
in connection with manner, are a faithful reflex of the 
mind. Says Addison, " Every passion gives a particular 
cast to the countenance, and is apt to discover itself in 
some feature or other. I have seen an eye curse for 
half an hour together, and an eyebrow call a man 
scoundrel." 

A full, high forehead, with well-proportioned features, 
contrasted with a low, receding brow and projecting cheek- 
bones, outwardly mark the extremes between intellectual 
superiority and mental density. 

The highest and lowest grades of intelligence in man- 
kind closely approximate in appearance these external 
distinctions of feature; and as we said of the limbs in 
the chapter on the vital division of the body, that they 
attain the greatest perfection of physical strength among 



46 An Hour with Dels arte 

the inferior races of men, so in the highly sensitive organ- 
isms of the more advanced races, as the quality of the 
material becomes finer and the quantity is lessened, there 
is a gradual development toward the perfection of flex- 
ible strength. 

Muscular flexibility is found in its greatest perfection 
among intellectual people ; and as the intellectual fibre be- 
comes coarse in quality, so the muscles lose their delicacy, 
and as the muscles gain in mere physical force, they lose 
in temperamental or flexible strength. 

As in the subdivisions of the limbs the invasions of the 
vital nature by the mental and emotive are shown, so, 
too, the invasions of the mental nature by the emotive 
and vital natures are illustrated by the subdivisions of the 
head into three zones or tracts, each corresponding to 
a qualified or complex state of one of the great principles 
of the being. Thus the region of the head about the 
mouth and jaws is selected to express a phase of the vital 
nature, the region of the cheeks and nose answering to 
a similar purpose for the emotive nature ; while the eyes 
and forehead are the mental centre of the mental division, 
and therefore the most expressive agency of the mental 
nature in the body. 

The mine! is revealed most directly through the eye, 
which translates with marvellous fidelity the nicest shades 



fo h&vc no iala.ce 




Mental Division 47 

of thought and feeling. An active or a sluggish mental 
habit is revealed through the eye by the brightness or 
dulness of that organ. 

A brow corrugated with seams and wrinkles is the ex- 
ternal evidence of a life of thought or much care just 
as the brow innocent o( a line, over blank, staring eyes, 
betokens a vacuous mind. 

The emotional nature is expressed in the face through 
the blush and pallor of the cheeks, and in the nose 
through the dilation and contraction of the nostrils in the 
various forms of excitability and sensibility. The nostrils 
dilate in anger, passionate resentment, and the like, while 
contempt and cruelty contract them. 

Like the eyes and forehead, the construction or shape 
of the nose and cheeks is partly indicative of the character 
of the individual ; thus, a nose cast in an heroic or grace- 
ful mould is rarely found disassociated with some admi- 
rable qualities of mind or heart, and a pinched, peaked, 
or flat nose nearly always accompanies a mean, peevish, 
or crafty nature. 

So, too, the blending of the vital nature with the men- 
tal, as shown in the shape of the mouth, jaws, and upper 
neck, has its share in determining character. Heavy, sen- 
suous lips, square, massive jaws, and a thick neck leave 
little for conjecture as to the prevailing traits of the per- 



48 An Hour with Delsarte 

son possessing them. From this to the thin, compressed 
lips, bony jaws, and pointed chin of hardness and cruelty, 
there is every grade of natural impulse, from the most 
vicious to the most virtuous. 

The mouth is the seat of the organs of voice and taste, 
both of which are vital in expression ; but it is also con- 
cerned in the production of articulate speech, — a direct 
agent of the mental nature. The lips readily lend them- 
selves to whichever state of the being leads the activities. 
They are parted in astonishment, suspense, and awe ; they 
are bloodless and compressed in the heat of vital passions, 
and they are pursed and drawn in sympathy with mental 
endeavor. 

Enthusiasts and visionary people habitually carry their 
heads elevated, whereas the tendency of grave and thought- 
ful habits is to lower the head and eye. Thus the at- 
titude of the head frequently denotes the disposition of 
the individual. 



Emotivt Division 49 



IX 



EMOTIVE DIVISION. 

A S the function of the limbs in the divisions of the body 
is vital, and that of the head mental, so the emo- 
tive nature has its base of operations in the torso, or trunk, 
and is the seat of the passions and higher emotions. In the 
subdivisions of the torso the region oi the lungs appears 
to be the scat of the mental nature; the heart, in which 
centre the affections, is the dwelling-place of the emotive 
nature; and the vital nature lodges in the abdomen, which 
is the headquarters of the appetites. These subdivisions 
of the torso are the points for the arrival and departure of 
gestures of the hand and arm, which thus indicate the 
principle of being predominating in expression. When the 
breast heaves and swells under the stimulus of some noble 
impulse we know that the mental has invaded the emo- 
tive nature, and stirred the being to the projection of some 
lofty purpose; and the open hand is laid upon the breast 
to show that the individual is committed to a worthy end. 
In moments of the highest exaltation the whole being is 



50 An Hour with Delsarte 

said to be poised, when head, heart, and hand are in per- 
fect accord, and are united in the pursuit of one great 
object. At such times the individual is capable of the high- 
est in his nature. The eye lights up, the nostrils dilate, the 
color comes and goes, the chest heaves, the limbs move 
with unwonted ease and grace, and the whole man be- 
comes grander, as indeed he really is; for at such mo- 
ments he is incapable of petty things. 

If the gesture seeks the heart region, or emotional division, 
the affections predominate; when the vital nature rules, the 
gestures seek the abdomen, as this is the seat of the appe- 
tites and grosser passions. In the second chapter of this 
book we call attention to the significance which the undue 
prominence of either of these divisions gives to the car- 
riage of the body as revealing the nature of the individual. 
Egotistical and conceited people express their predomi- 
nating characteristic through the prominence of the chest ; 
as we have previously stated, many people have the abomi- 
nable habit of protruding the abdomen. 

In a proper carriage or bearing of the torso, the heart 
region will be prominent, the abdomen contracted, and the 
shoulders flexible and free. 

We cannot better conclude this brief consideration of the 
divisions of the body than by quoting the physiognomist 
Lavater, in support of Delsarte's theory: "These three 



Emotive Division 51 

states of the soul do not lodge in separate apartments of the 

body, but co-exist in every part, and form by their combina- 
tion one whole; yet it is true that each of these principles 
has its particular place of residence in the body, where it in 
preference manifests and exerts itself." 



52 An Hour with Delsarte 



X. 

DELSARTE'S NINE LAWS OF GESTURE. 

A LL who have carefully and thoughtfully perused the 
preceding chapters will have no difficulty in deter- 
mining the fact that we are enabled accurately to convey 
our thoughts and feelings through the medium of the body 
in the form of gestures or motion, and that it is possible to 
trace every movement of the body back to the sensation, 
thought, or emotion which created it. 

We are perhaps apt to consider the voice as the most 
important agent of expression ; and while its power is not 
to be denied, when we realize what lasting impressions are 
conveyed through the expression of the eye and hand alone, 
how they magnetize, influence, interest, and persuade, we are 
forced to admit that "Actions speak louder than words," 
and that gesture is superior to speech. Says Addison, 
" A man's speech is much more easily disguised than 
his countenance." 

According to his exponents, Delsarte formulated nine laws 
of gesture. First, the Law of Motion, which we have already 
described as the centre of his system. Motion is force 



LooK.fher^' 
ho.ho.hi 




Nine Laws of Gesture 53 

expending itself. Delsarte was the first to apply the three 

modes of motion to the three states of the being. Motion 
corresponding to the vital state moves outward from the 
centre; motion which corresponds to the mental state 
moves inward toward the centre; while the emotive state 
is manifested through either outward or inward motion>. or 
that which is balanced or poised according to the nature 
of the emotion. 

Delsarte's second law is that of Velocity: "The velocity 
of any agent is in proportion to the mass moved and the 
force moving." That is to say, a weighty idea or grave 
emotion requires deliberate or slow gestures moving through 
large space, while thoughts and emotions of a lighter 
character are gestured by short, rapid movements. The 
same is true of the voice ; grave, deep tones accompany 
grand subjects, while lighter tones denote less weighty 
feelings. 

The third law is that of Direction and Extension. All 
gestures must have direction: vital gestures are generally 
projected forward from the body or lengthw ise, mental 
tures are directed above or pointed below, while emotional 
gestures are thrown out laterally; and the extension of ges- 
ture is shown in the degree of our self-surrender or the 
completeness of our giving up to the state by which we 

are dominated. It should be borne in mind that these 

6 



54 An Hour with Delsarte 

definitions apply as well to the inner being and explain the 
direction or tendency and bent of thought. 

Reaction is Delsarte's fourth law: " Every extreme of 
emotion tends to react to its opposite. Concentric states 
tend to explosion, and explosion to prostration." The prin- 
ciple is shown in the rebounding of a ball thrown against 
a hard wall ; it returns to the hand which gave it impetus 
with its force diminished only by the resistance of gravita- 
tion. This ball may be said to represent the human soul 
when the vital nature is supremely dominant. 

This state of the being is outwardly shown by great 
physical exertion, and is immediately followed by intense 
calm, betokening the relaxed state of the mind, which is the 
natural consequence of undue excitement. This law is fre- 
quently illustrated in the passion of a child which has long 
been chafing under the restrictions of maternal discipline. 
The child has been forbidden some form of youthful pastime, 
which in the maternal instinct seemed harmful ; the little 
fellow feels that he has been hardly used, and broods over 
his trouble, at first sullenly, but afterward more demonstra- 
tively. He thinks, " What a cruel mother I have ! " this is 
succeeded by angry resentment manifested in kicks and half- 
stifled murmurs of discontent, which having no effect, the 
long pent-up feelings find their climax in a flood of pas- 
sionate tears. After this outburst tired nature comes to 



Nine Laics of Gesture 55 

the rescue, and the reaction is seen as the infant rebel 
himself to sleep 
The Law of Form maybe defined as the figure or shape 

by which matter is presented to the sight. As applied to 
gesture, all motion describes certain shapes or forms in 
space. Gestures which describe straight lines or forms arc 
said to be vital; those taking a circular form are emotional; 
while gestures marking broken outlines are mental. 

The Law of Personality is that which marks a man's in- 
dividuality and distinguishes him from other men. Per- 
sonality is the result of heredity and culture. We work 
upon the material received at birth from our ancestors, 
striving to efface or emphasize its peculiarities accordingly 
as they are advantageous or detrimental to us; the result 
at manhood, colored by experience, is personality. It is 
that by which we recognize a friend by his walk, a mother 
by the inflections of her voice as she speaks to her child, 
the words of a favorite author by the style of the com- 
position. 

Delsarte's Law of Opposition: "When two limbs follow 
the same direction, they cannot be simultaneous without 
injury to the law of opposition ; therefore direct move- 
ments should be successive and opposite movements sim- 
ultaneous." The law of opposition in gesture has for it>> 
mechanical or physical basis the laws of equilibrium and 



56 An Hour with Delsarte 

gravity. A vertical line directly through the body stand- 
ing erect and perfectly poised will mark the centre of 
gravity. Any departure of the body from this right line 
in any direction must be compensated for by an equal 
portion of the body in the opposite direction, else equi- 
librium cannot be maintained. Equilibrium is one of the 
elements of physical grace ; and while there may be equi- 
librium without grace, there can be no grace without 
equilibrium ; so, in gesturing, this law of compensation or 
balance must be preserved in the interests of grace. A 
gesture by one member of the body demands a compen- 
sating gesture by another member in opposition. 

If we gesture with the arm, the head moves in opposi- 
tion. If we step forward, the head follows the limb ; the 
body being equal to the head and limb opposes them in 
compensation. 

The Law of Priority or Sequence of gesture is the order 
of succession in which the agents of expression act. " Im- 
pression always precedes expression ; we must have before 
we can give, and give in the order of having," — which is 
equivalent to saying, We must have an idea before we can 
express one. 

Generally speaking, the vital nature first asserts itself 
in gesture, then follows the emotional nature, and the 
mental nature is last to act; but, as Delsarte says, "The 



Nine Laws of Gesture 57 

will lends itself to whichever side of the being is in action," 
and that side will lead the sequence in gesture. 

In the order of priority the eye reveals impressions first, 
next the face responds, then the hand and other members 
o( the boc.y, and, lastly, articulate speech. 

Delsarte is reported to have said that " Rhythm is the 
vibration or swing of matter through equal spaces and in 
equal times." It is the regular pulsation or beat of mo- 
tion corresponding to the throb or wave of emotion ; mo- 
tion is rhythmic just as waxes are undulating; it is the 
character or shape of motion. In speech it is the succes- 
sive rise and fall of the voice, as in the modulation and 
the cadence of the tones in reading. In gesture it is the 
consecutive inflections of the limbs from joint to joint in 
the movements of the bod)-. 



s8 An Hour with Dels arte 



XI. 



GESTURE. 

/^"^ ESTURE is the immediate revelation of the being. 
^-^ The most evanescent flashes of thought and tem- 
perament are first and immediately revealed in gesture. 
The quality of his gesture is the quality of the individual, 
and the touchstone to the character of the man. His 
speech can be attuned to the occasion ; but he betrays him- 
self in the quick surprises of involuntary gesture, — in the 
sudden tremor of the lip, the startled turn of the head, the 
dropping of the jaw, the spasmodic clutch of the hand, 
the blush and pallor of the cheeks, and the flashing and 
quailing of that sensitive mirror, the eye. And apropos 
of the sudden flushing and paling of the cheeks, the French 
philosopher, Descartes, observes that while the will may 
have some control over the muscles, it has none over the 
blood. 

Gesture is the language of nature, and is comprehensible 
to people of every tongue; whereas their different forms 
of speech must be laboriously learned before they can be 
employed or understood. The most pacific overtures, when 




ow vou 



r 



<§to 



F 



Gesture 59 

couched in words, might be misinterpreted by a foreigner, 
but a conciliatory movement of the hand is readily appre- 
ciated by any race or condition of men. 

The character or type of the gestures of different races 
varies according to the temperaments of the people, but 
the nature or essence of gesture is everywhere the same : 
thus, the warm-blooded races of Southern Europe and Asia 
make quick, impulsive gestures, in keeping with the activity 
of their temperaments . but among the phlegmatic peoples 
of the North, the gestures are more deliberate and less 
volatile in kind. With the Anglo Saxon races, on the other 
hand, where a greater evenness of temperament prevails, 
the gestures are an equable blending of the other two ; and 
all the man>- classes of men, with their infinite diversity 
of characteristic movements, are but variations of these fun- 
damental types. Hence, different men express the same 
idea, thought, sentiment, or passion differently, . the manner 
of each being modified by experience, habit, disposition, 
etc. But all men have the same general attributes, distin- 
guishable by the special peculiarities of each ; so it follows 
that certain gestures are common to all men to express 
particular emotions, colored only by the individuality o\ 
the person. 

For example, profound grief will give to every face a 
melancholy or lugubrious effect ; but a grief that would 



60 An Hour ivitk Delsarte 

awaken in one person a perfect agony of woe, would be 
expressed in a more self-contained nature by an occasional 
sigh and a heavy look in the eye, though the degree of 
grief were the same in each case. In the same way, a feel- 
ing of great surprise is shown in every face by an expansion 
of feature, accompanied by a staring look in the eyes ; but 
a surprise that would have no more effect on some people 
than to cause a slight lifting of the eyebrows, would pro- 
voke in others a violent start, throwing up of both hands, 
and a settled gape, amounting in appearance almost to con- 
sternation ; yet the surprise may be no more sincerely felt 
in the one case than in the other. But it is through these 
forms of action or gesture that we learn the secrets of 
another's nature. 

Of him who has such perfect control of himself that he 
makes little or no demonstration over a circumstance which 
excites another to much show of feeling, we say that he is 
a man of the world and has experienced much, or that his 
nature is cold and unresponsive, or that he is hypocritical 
and masks his true feelings for his own ends, or that he 
is cultivated and politely suppresses them ; forming our 
own judgment each time not upon this circumstance alone, 
but considered in connection with other facts similarly ob- 
tained ; and by this subtile reasoning we arrive at an estimate 
of character. It is the complex nature which makes the 



a est u re 6 1 

least show of feeling, and the simple one which is the n 
demonstrative. 

All gesture may be classified conformably with its source 
as subjective and objective : it may be called objective 
when it refers to and arises from external causes or con- 
ditions; it may be called subjective when it is the direct 
expression of a purely subjective or mental operation. The 
simple gesture made in pointing out a familiar object in a 
miscellaneous collection is objective, because it arises from 
an external cause ; but the involuntary action of raising the 
hand to the brow in an effort of the memory is subjective, 
because it is a reflection of some state of the mind. 

Gestures of the objective class are more frequently seen 
in children than those of the subjective kind, because the 
mind of childhood is more susceptible of impressions from 
without ; and it is not until the exercise of the faculties of 
reasoning, judgment, etc., begins that certain crude, subjec- 
tive gestures are seen, betokening the immaturity of these 
qualities. As these functions become fixed, however, and 
their true value determined, the revelatory gestures take 
on a riper fitness and a settled precision of form in per- 
fect keeping with the now advanced development of the 
mind. 

Who is not familiar with the comical grimaces a\\(\ ab 
surd antics of a child when called upon to unravel som< 



62 An Hour with Delsarte 

tangled mental knot? But in maturer years this same child 
will reveal a proportionately difficult mental encounter with 
perhaps a drawing together of the brows, a pursing of 
the lips," a tapping of the fingers, or by some equally mild 
form of gesture, betraying the working of the practised 
intellect accustomed to this kind of mental gymnastics. 

Through these illustrations it is the purpose to bring 
forcibly home to the learner the manifest absurdity of pre- 
scribing fixed gestures to express particular ideas, than 
which no more ridiculous notion has ever prevailed, even 
in connection with this ludicrously treated study. Our 
minds are as different as our faces; we do not think alike 
nor talk alike ; then why should we act or walk alike ? Xo 
two of us are exactly alike in any particular; then, in just 
so much as we are unlike, the difference should appear in 
all we do. 

A girl of fifteen will not express herself in anything like 
a man of fifty; nor will any two girls of fifteen, or men 
of fifty, express the same ideas, using precisely the same 
words, gestures, or facial expression ; each will show his 
difference of temperament, habit, disposition, heredity, and 
experience from those of each of the others, and these and 
other differences of character will color all he does. 

All gesture, to be natural, must be unconscious, or seem 
to be so ; the reason that studied gestures are often stiff, 






Gesture 63 

embarrassed, and self-conscious is that they have not been 
sufficiently studied. Says Pope: — 

" A tittle learning is a dangerous thing; 
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring." 

So a little jaunt into the realms of expression only ser 
to show the learner what he lacks, without putting him 
into possession of it; there must be no half-heartedness 
about his efforts, he must plunge boldly into the stream 
and ford it to the source. So thoroughly must he be im- 
bued with the subject that he will seem to have appropri- 
ated it to himself, — made it, in fact, second nature. Then 
all self-consciousness will disappear, per force of circum- 
stances. For the special study of gesture the student is 
referred to Bacon's " Manual of Gestures," which is a most 
admirable simplification of Austin's " Chironomia," the most 
important work as yet produced on the subject of gesture. 



64 An Hour with Delsarte 



XII. 

THE VOICE. — READING. 

T~AELSARTE classifies the voice, as he does the other 
agents of expression, into three divisions, each 
corresponding to one of the three states of the being. 
Accordingly the voice, the mere sound, is vital ; modu- 
lated sound, or tone, is emotive; and articulate speech is 
mental. 

Again, the pitch of the voice is suggestive of these three 
states of the being. In this classification Delsarte defines 
the chest voice as the expression of the vital or sensitive 
life, the medium voice as the expression of sentiment and 
the emotive nature, and the head voice as the correspond- 
ence of the mental side of the being. 

The head voice is used in expressing purely mental 
conditions, like the inward gestures ; and the medium or 
middle voice is expressive of emotional conditions, like 
those gestures which are neither outward nor inward, but 
serve as the poise or balance between the two. 

These distinctions are by no means definitive ; but as in 
the divisions of the other agents, the vital or chest voice 



Jlfe*. 



too id,k . 




The I one. — Reading 65 

is invaded, and in turn invades the emotive or middle voice, 
and the same with the head or mental voice. 

By this blending and merging of the basal divisions the 
same complexity is observable in voice as in the case of 
gesture. As there is little or no variation in the cry of 
the animal, so there is not much in the tones of elemen- 
tary or savage natures among men ; and flexibility of the 
voice is never found disassociated with intelligence, because 
it is the external sign of intellectuality. 

The head tone, or high voice, is heard in the weighing and 
balancing of mental problems. The head voice reaches its 
highest state of pliancy among the most enlightened peoples. 

The chest voice is heard when the animal side of our 
nature is dominant; in the vital passions, — hate, anger, etc., 
— if the physical nature overbalances the mental, the chest 
voice is more frequently employed than either of the others, 
the head voice being often very weak. 

The medium voice is heard when neither the mental nor 

the vital side of the being is predominant, or when some 

condition of the emotive nature is poised. " Every state 

of the mind," says Dr. Rush, " has its corresponding vocal 

signs in some of the varied forms of pitch, force, time, and 

quality;" and the slightest inflection of the voice has it< 

corresponding mental equivalent, just as the inflections of 

gesture have. 

7 



66 An Hour with Delsarte 

The importance of the voice as an agent of expression 
depends, as in the case of the other agents, upon the de- 
gree of its flexible strength and the readiness with which 
it accommodates itself to the passing phases of thought 
and feeling; hence the necessity for cultivating the voice 
to its greatest pliancy of modulation. 

It is not the purpose here to enter upon a discussion 
of the voice in any particular sense ; as the subject is of 
too much moment, if it were not too extensive, to admit 
of anything but the most general treatment. For a more 
thorough investigation the student is recommended to a 
careful study of Dr. James Rush's exhaustive consideration 
of the subject in his " Philosophy of the Human Voice." 
But it is possible, even in the space of a brief chapter, 
to throw out suggestions which may awaken the learner 
to the importance of the subject and to the necessity for 
an understanding of the organs which are concerned in 
the production of voice if he would make intelligent use 
of his vocal powers. 

For example, the well-known resemblance in the physio- 
logical formation of the organs of speech to the principle 
upon which wind instruments of music are constructed is 
of service to the student in helping him to understand the 
process of voice production. 

The lungs and diaphragm may be likened to the bellows 



The Voice, — Reading 67 

or pumping power of a church organ; the windpipe 

stands for the pipes and tubes, and the larynx for the 
reeds. In the production of voice the lungs furnish the 
motor element, the Larynx the vibrating element, and 
the mouth the resonant element, and these three elements 
are essential to the creation of all sound. 

Primarily, the correct use of the voice is dependent on 
the proper exercise of these organs, a free and unforced 
habit of inspiration, and a sustained power of expiration in 
the management of the breath, together with a clear and dis- 
tinct enunciation, without too great prccisencss of articu- 
lation. The distinguished public reader and instructor, Mr. 
George Riddle, assures us that he never gives his pupils 
breathing exercises at the outset of their studies, as their 
value is not at first understood. If his pupils are unable 
to breathe properly he gives them the Ghost Scene from 
Hamlet to read; and the futility of attempting the grave, 
round periods of the ghost's speeches without diaphragmatic 
breathing strikes the learner at once, and the necessity for 
breathing lessons is clearly established. 

Good reading is a recommendation, just as good man- 
ners are a passport ; and there is never a time when the 
lack of the one or the other may not throw the decision 
against us in some project on which we have set our hopes. 



68 An Hour with Dels arte 

Of course the first essential in a reader, from an objective 
standpoint, is the command of his voice in order that he 
may be able to meet the demands made upon it in a 
lengthy vocal effort; and in these days of frequent gath- 
erings, public and private, scarcely any one may feel him- 
self secure in being unprepared for an occasion when his 
shortcomings in this respect may prove a source of mor- 
tification and annoyance. 

How pathetic sometimes is the spectacle of the person, 
unaccustomed to " that sort of thing," who is suddenly 
called upon to read or speak in public ! Who will forget 
the picture of his constrained and timid manner, or the 
effect of his weak voice and monotonous tones addressed 
to a friendly face in the front row, leaving the rest of the 
house in painful uncertainty as to what it was all about ! 
Or, on the other hand, how absurd was the way he shouted 
to cover up his embarrassment ! 

By the pompous professor we are told that all we have 
to do in order to read well is to be natural ; but what is 
more natural, if the reader has any sensibility, than that 
he should appear unnatural before an audience at first? 
It is his very fidelity to nature that causes the mischief. 
It is not until he has learned to quell or subjugate cer- 
tain natural instincts, which rob him for the time of his 
powers, that he is able to present the appearance of 



Tin I 'oici. Reading 

spontaneity and naturalness. For example, timidit) de 
prives him of self-possession, and he appears stupid when 
he is only frightened. 

Ignorance of the quality of his voice causes him to mis- 
judge its strength; it fails him, and thus ruins an effort 
for which, in other respects, he may have been thoroughly 
equipped. And so, in a hundred ways, he must cast him- 
self into the relentless school of experience unless fortified 
by previous preparatory study. 




70 An Hour with Delsarte 



XIII. 

TEACHERS. — EXERCISES FOR PRACTICE. 

r I ^HAT "poets are born, not made" is not a whit more 
certain than that teachers should be ; but, alas ! too 
many are manufactured after they are born. The calling 
of the instructor is a special vocation, requiring a specific 
fitness equal in degree to that of the artist or the orator, 
and the professor of the inculcatory art must be as 
truly called to his work and must enter upon it with as 
much heart-felt devotion as does the professor of any other 
art. 

The representative of any craft who finds more drudgery 
than pleasure in its practice may feel assured, other things 
being equal, that he is out of his proper sphere ; and he 
is no true teacher who does not find his tutorship an ever- 
changing source of delight. 

Droning out laboriously acquired knowledge by the hour 
to foggy-minded youth is but dull work truly; and if that 
were the end of the teacher's occupation one could readily 
sympathize with the plaint of the country pedagogue, who 



wonder if he 
loves fur^rnuch 




7 i a c hers. — Exercises jar 1 'rat lice 7 1 

kept school only because school kept him. Hut to the 
genuine preceptor the task of implanting the seeds of 

knowledge and seeing them fructify is a boon beside which 
all material recompense seems poor. He teaches because 
he loves to teach ; he revels in his work. It is a joy to 
him to make his thought your thought. 

It is his mission to diffuse knowledge. He loves to watch 
the play of the unfledged fancy as it plumes its wings for 
intellectual flight. He carefully studies his pupil and notes 
his peculiarities, and then adapts his discourse and his dis- 
cipline to suit the temperament and disposition of his 
charge. He checks the froward and inspires the timid, 
and the industrious he rewards, but to each and all he 
is impartially and uncompromisingly honest and sincere; 
for this, he knows, is the greatest justice, the greatest 
charity, and the greatest kindness. 

This master is broad in his own views and tolerant of 
the views of others. Whatever his private opinions may 
be, he does not allow them to prejudice his consideration 
of the opinion of others; and thus his information is ever 
unbiassed and therefore reliable. He has a system in his 
work, but it is a liberal system, and enables him, without 
trespassing, to cull from every field the choicest fruits oi 
thought; thus he is progressive, and his labors are ever 
brightened by the unfolding o( new possibilities. 



72 An Hour with Delsarte 

We have already stated that we have little faith in the 
efficacy of printed directions for guidance in the practice 
of exercises, because they are almost invariably misinter- 
preted and misused by the student. A living interpreter 
is required to expound the principles upon which they are 
based, in order that extravagance in their use may be 
avoided, on the one hand, and that they may not fail of 
their purpose through a want of thoroughness in their 
application, on the other. Still, as this book would be 
incomplete without some reference to the character and 
quality of these exercises, the writer desires to outline the 
course which she has found most serviceable in her own 
practice. They are presented more with a view of sug- 
gesting the various forms of gymnastic drill, than with 
any intention of enumerating the exercises possible under 
the system, which may be extended indefinitely, according 
to the ingenuity of the instructor. 

1. Examine pupils individually, and point out faulty habits 
of carriage and bearing ; suggest corrections by reference to 
illustrations in the second chapter. 

2. Consider the carriage of each in his walk, and point 
out inelegaricies and other defects, such, for example, as 
the fault of walking with a bobbing movement of the body, 
wabbling from side to side, or carrying the feet with the 
toes pointing inward, etc. Do not attempt any radical 



j\\&& poor <soal 



NX/n^vT 



? 




Teachers.- Exercises for Practice 73 

alteration of natural tendencies which are inherent In and 
characteristic of the individuals. 

A Greek writer has declared that " a man's mind is in 
his walk." Gracefulness in walking requires that the body 
be carried erect without stiffness, that the legs swing easily 

from the hip-joints, and that the toes be turned slightly 
outward and carried on a level with the whole foot. In 
turning to retrace one's steps, or in making short turns, 
one should pivot lightly on the balls of the feet, not take 
three or four steps in a half circle, as many do. 

The bearing and carriage of the body having been con- 
sidered in this general way, we proceed to examine the 
members of the body in detail, beginning with the hand. 
Extend your arms forward with the palms down or prone, 
energize and move stiffly up and down ; now surrender 
the hands at the wrist, shake them as before. The object 
is to take the mind out of the hands, to let the effort of 
the will cease at the wrists. The sensation of freedom or 
flexibility is obtained by repeatedly energizing the hand 
and then relaxing or surrendering it. Now, shake the hands 
laterally from side to side ; forget them, let them go ; 
remember that you have arms, but no hands, for the time 
being. Now turn the hands with the palms facing each 
other, giye them up as before, and shake them back and 
forth, letting the energy cease at the wrist. Mow, repeat 



74 An Hour with Delsarte 

the movement with the palms upward ; imagine that you 
are shaking drops of water from the tips of your fingers. 
Now, the rotary movement; turn the hand round and round 
from right to left; now, reverse the movement and turn 
them from left to right. Next, hold the hands facing each 
other, the sides downward, and shake them freely as you 
would in a gesture of threatening. Next, rest your fore- 
arm on the arm of your chair; now cut the energy off at 
the wrist. We must obtain perfect flexibility of this agent, 
which in some people extends to the fingers, giving them 
the same freedom as at the wrist. 

These movements we call flexing or freeing exercises, 
because they render flexible or supple the agent thus 
treated, and free it from the bias of customary forms of 
action. By this means the way is opened for the intro- 
duction of unaccustomed forms. 

From the hands we proceed step by step to each divi- 
sion of the limbs and body, subjecting each to this freeing 
and flexing process, until the entire body becomes readily 
responsive to the slightest calls of the will. 

Raise the arms and extend them laterally with the mo- 
tion made in swimming. Free the fore-arms, letting the 
energy cease at the elbow; with the arms in this position 
agitate the upper arm up and down, forward and backward, 
and rotarily, or with a rotary motion, letting the fore-arm 






Teachers. Exercises for Tract ice 75 

swing as if dead. This exercise frees the arms from the 
elbows down, and gives flexibility and suppleness to the 
muscles of the upper arm. 

Standing in a position of perfect ease, allow the arms to 
hang naturally at the sides; now, energize or stiffen the 
arms and bring them slowly together with the backs of the 
hands meeting just before the hips at the lowest altitude; 
holding them thus for an instant, relax and let them fall 
back to their usual position. Again, energize the arms 
and carry them forward and upward, holding them ex- 
tended at full length to a horizontal position before the 
chest; relax and let them fall into place as before. Re- 
peat the movement, carrying the arms this time to a po- 
sition just above or on a level with the eyes ; relax as 
before, letting them drop lifelessly into place. 

Again, stiffen the arms to a rigid tension, and holding 
them at full length, carry them up sidewise until they 
meet, the backs of the hands together, directly over the 
head. Agitate the hands as in the preceding exercises 
for the hands, relax and drop them. Again this move- 
ment, carrying the arms above the head, but as far back 
as possible, and finally relax and allow them to fall into 
place. 

Standing in the same position, elevate the shoulders as 
much as possible; relax them, and allowing the arms to 



76 An Hour with Delsarte 

hang lifelessly, freely agitate the rest of the body. Carry 
the shoulders forward as much as possible, neither raising 
nor depressing them ; relax them, and agitate the body 
as before. Depress or slightly droop the shoulders, then 
slowly carry them backward and upward, and finally down- 
ward, expanding the chest to its fullest extent; relax and 
agitate the body as before. Rotate the shoulders forward 
several times, then backward ; then swing the arms round 
and round, letting them revolve in their sockets. 

These exercises, besides freeing the muscles of the chest 
and shoulders and relieving them of stiffness and angu- 
larity, will, if perseveringly practised, materially expand 
and enlarge the chest, thus promoting the healthy action 
of the lungs. 

Sitting, holding the head in its normal position midway 
between the shoulders, neither raised nor depressed, allow 
it gradually to droop forward until it loses balance and 
falls inertly upon the chest. Returning it to its normal 
position, allow it to droop backward until it falls upon the 
neck. Returning again to normal poise, allow the head 
to fall first to the right, then, repeating the movement, let 
it fall to the left. Now, with a rotary motion allow the 
head to roll freely on the shoulders, first to the right, then, 
reversing, let it roll to the left. The object of these ex- 
ercises, it will be readily seen, is to give perfect freedom 



Teachers. — Exercises for Practice 77 

to the movements of the head by imparting flexibility to 
the muscles of the neck ; this object is not fairly accom- 
plished until you are able to simulate through the head 
the passive pliancy of one in a dead faint or in a state of 
unconsciousness. 

Sitting erect in your chair, allow the head and shoulders 
to droop forward, breaking the trunk at the first joint of 
the chest, but holding the waist rigid. Beginning in the 
same position again, allow the head to fall backward, 
drawing the shoulders with it, but maintaining rigidity of 
the waist as before. 

Again, droop the head to the right, allowing it to ele- 
vate the left and depress the right shoulder by the force 
of its own weight, still holding the waist immovable ; repeat 
the movement to the left; now, turn the head and shoulders 
round with a rotary motion which alternately raises and 
depresses the shoulders as they follow the movement of 
the head. Still sitting erect, rotate the upper body on the 
hip joints, letting the motion flow sinuously through the 
joints of the spine and ribs; reverse the action, turning 
in the opposite direction. 

Rise in your places, and standing at perfect ease, allow 
the upper body to fall lifelessly forward, arresting the ac- 
tion at the waist line; repeat the action, falling backward; 
again, falling to the right and then to the left. 



j 8 An Hour with Delsarte 

Now, letting the upper body fall forward, arresting the 
action at the waist line as before, rotate the inert trunk to 
the right by means of the hip joints and muscles; reverse 
the movement, turning to the left. 

Resume your seats, and lifting the right foot from the 
floor, agitate it freely, as in the exercises for the hand; 
rotate the foot at the ankle to the right and to the left; 
repeat this exercise with the left foot. 

Again, standing up, agitate the right leg from the knee, 
as in the exercises for the arm ; now with a rotary motion 
to the right, and reversing to the left. Throw the limb 
forward, imitating the pawing of the horse ; repeat these 
with the left foot and leg. 

Standing on some elevated position, — a footstool, or on 
the edge of a step or platform, — swing the whole leg loosely 
from the hip joint; in lieu of the rotary motion, which is 
impossible, throw the right leg about the left, letting it 
dangle loosely from the hip ; repeat this exercise with the 
left leg. 

Allow the eyelids to fall and lower jaw to drop. 

Having freed the various joints and hinges of the body 
from their enclosures of stiffness and angularity, and given 
flexibility to the muscles at the same time, let us now turn 
our attention to building up those muscles which from dis- 
use or bodily ailment have become weakened, and observe 



Oh.r 








Teachers. — Exercises for 1 'ractice 

that by taking up the work of strengthening the bod)- in 

this order, after the freeing and flexing process rather than 
before, we avoid emphasizing and confirming, as it were, 

the faults which we have just been at so much pains to 
overcome. 

Stand with the heels together, the toes pointing at right 
angles, and rise slowly and steadily on the toes to the 
highest point attainable with an even balance, and down in 
the same manner, repeating the exercise until the move- 
ment can be accomplished almost imperceptibly. Next, 
pivot on the balls of the feet from right to left, reverse 
and repeat over and over several times. 

With the feet in the same position, keeping the body 
erect, bend the knees as far as possible without lifting the 
heels from the floor or losing the balance. To give elas- 
ticity to the lower limbs, stand in position, the heels a few 
inches apart, the toes pointing outward at right angles, 
with a springy, dancing movement of the body, take a step 
forward and back to place, first with the right foot, then 
with the left, springing slightly on the balls of the feet as 
in waltzing and marking time rhythmically, — one, two, for- 
ward and back to place on the right foot; three, four, 
forward and back to place on the left ; repeating the 
movement backwards, — one, two, backward and forward 
to place on the right foot ; three, four, backward and for- 



8o An Hour with Dels arte 

ward to place on the left foot; continue the movement to 
the right and to the left, pointing the toes of the foot on 
which the step is taken obliquely from the body, and 
marking time as before. 

Although Delsarte made the study of the human voice 
his chiefest concern, the loss of his own voice having- 

o 

quickened his perception in respect to that organ, it is 
none the less a deplorable fact that little remains to us of 
his authentic achievements in its behalf. 

For a specific study of the voice, therefore, the student 
is referred to Mr. James E. Murdoch's " Analytic Elocu- 
tion," which is a simplified interpretation of " The Phi- 
losophy of the Voice " by Dr. James Rush, and contains, 
besides, many notes and observations gathered during Mr. 
Murdoch's long and varied experience as actor, reader, 
and teacher. 

We give below the fundamental breathing exercises which 
should be considered in connection with the flexing and 
freeing forms. There are three forms of breathing in which 
all language, from simple narration to the most violent 
burst of passion, is presented. 

In a simple statement of fact the breath flows from the 
organs in a gentle, steady stream. 

First Breathing Exercise. — Stand in an easy position, 
the weight resting on the balls of the feet, the arms hang- 






Teachers. — Exercises for 1 *ractice 8 1 

ing loosely at full length in the back, the fingers lightly 
caught together; in this position fill the lungs by deep, 
slow, and full respiration. After a short pause, during which 
the breath is retained, part the lips and let the breath | 
out in a gentle, steady whisper of the word "he;" lips 
moderately opened, corners drawn back. Endeavor to 
economize the breath in this exercise as much as possible, 
giving it out as slowly and steadily as you can. 

In any emotional utterance the physical organism is 
stimulated to greater exertion and the breath rushes from 
the organs. 

Second Breathing Exercise. — Fill the lungs as before, 
and then expel the breath in a forcible whispered breath- 
ing of the syllable " hah ; " the mouth more open, lips 
slightly rounded. 

In extremely passionate expression the breath seems to 
burst into the outer air impelled by a powerful effort of 
the vocal mechanism. 

Third Breathing Exercise. — After a full inspiration ex- 
pel the air suddenly in a violent whispered utterance of 
the syllable "halt;" the mouth must be widely opened 
and the whisper coming from well back in the throat. 

Give the above exercises with vocal sound. 

An excellent breathing exercise consists in filling the 
lungs and then sounding the long vowel a, holding it on 




82 An Hour with Delsarte 

a level line of pitch as long as it is round and does not 
become vibratory; then take e, I, 6, and u in the same 
manner ; this is an excellent vocal gymnastic exercise ; 
practice on it gives a steady control of the diaphragm 
and makes the tones of the voice round, firm, and clear. 



Exercises for Harmonic Poise 8 



J 



XIV. 

EXERCISES FOR HARMONIC POISE. 

I" T is a rule in all harmonic movements that the head 
shall follow in the direction in which the weight of 

the body is thrown ; that is, in the direction taken by the 
leg which bears the weight of the body; at the same time 
the trunk moves in opposition. This rule is founded on 
the laws of equilibrium and sustained by the canons of 
grace. 

lixercisc I. Stand with the feet slightly apart, toes 
nearly on a line, the weight resting equally on both feet ; 
slowly sway the body forward until its weight rests en- 
tirely on the balls of the feet, but without lifting the heels 
from the floor; in the same manner sway backward as far 
as possible with the weight entirely on the heels. Avoid 
overbalancing. 

Exercise 2. With the feet in the same position, weight 
resting equally on both, withdraw the weight gradually 
from the left leg, giving it entirely to the right, the head 
following the direction of the weight and the trunk taking 
the opposite direction ; now reverse the movement, grad- 




84 An Hour with Delsarte 

ually withdrawing the weight from the right leg, give it 
over to the left, the head and trunk moving in opposition 
as before. 

Exercise 3. Stand with the right foot advanced so that 
the head is about on a line with the toes of the left, the 
weight equally borne by each ; gradually transfer the 
weight to the advanced leg until the weight is entirely 
borne by that member, the head following the direction 
of the weight, and the trunk, or torso, moving in opposi- 
tion as before. Repeat this exercise with the left foot 
advanced. 

Let the student try moving the head and trunk both in 
the direction of the advanced leg, and the loss of equi- 
librium, or balance, which will result is the most convincing 
proof of the mechanical as well as the aesthetical value of 
the oppositions. 

Exercise 4. Stand with one foot advanced as before, the 
weight equally sustained by each foot, rotate the entire 
body at the ankles, the waist describing the direction taken 
and the head following in opposition. In all of these 
exercises the movements must be sinuous, not angular, 
and the transitions must be accomplished with something 
of the subtilty of feline grace, the movement touching 
successively every joint and articulation in the course over 
which it travels. 



is ifie lime-' 




Exercises for Harmonic Poise 85 

Exercise 5. Sit in a chair with the spinal articulations 
lying easily against the back of the chair, chest and shoul- 
ders relaxed, but not drooping, with the body in a purely 
passive attitude; move the trunk, or torso, forward, first 
energizing at the waist as the objective point, the energy 
extending successively to the chest, shoulders, and head, 
the latter, which sympathizes with the weight, following 
the trunk in graceful opposition, until the attitude is one 
of animated activity. Now reverse the movement, allow- 
ing the trunk to sink slowly back, the waist leading and 
the head following in opposition as before, until the first 
position of negative inactivity is resumed. It will be ob- 
served that with the body in this position, the spinal 
column describes the arc of a circle and is convex, while 
the breast is concave ; but in the forward movement, when 
the body is fully animated, the position is just reversed, 
and the breast is convex while the back is then concave. 

Exercise 6. Sitting in the same attitude as in beginning 
the last exercise, move the trunk obliquely forward to the 
right until the body is highly energized, then reverse the 
movement, allowing the trunk to return to its position of 
passive ease, observing in this precisely the same principle 
as in the last exercise. Now repeat this exercise by making 
the movement obliquely to the left and back ; then vary 
it by moving directly to the right side and back, then to 



86 An Hour with Delsarte 

the left side and back. Finally, rotate the trunk forward 
to the position of greatest strength and relax, returning to 
the inactive poise, — the waist describing a half circle for- 
ward and a half circle backward. Reverse the movement, 
rotating forward in the opposite direction and then back. 

Exercise 7. Begin practising the harmonic expansion 
of the hand by closing the tips of the fingers in a cluster 
about the tips of the thumbs, the hands being held up 
before the breast ; then with an even, regular movement 
expand the hands, at the same time withdrawing them in 
opposite directions until they are wide apart, and fully 
open. Now, begin slowly to close them, bringing them 
together at the same time until the tips of the fingers 
cluster about the tips of the thumbs as before. The hands 
before the breast in the same manner, placing the tips of 
the second and third fingers against the tips of the thumbs, 
expand the hands, separating them as before, until they 
are far apart and both are wide open ; then return them 
to place with the same smooth, flowing motion. This ex- 
ercise tends to educate immobile and expressionless hands 
to that state of lightness and pliancy which goes so far to 
impart a meaning and purpose to gesture. 

Exercise 8. Referring to Chapter VII., assume succes- 
sively the simple or fundamental attitudes of the body 
therein illustrated and described, observing in the tran- 



Exercises for Harmonic Poise 

sition from each assumption the harmonious principles 
described above. 

A passing or transitory gesture is called an inflection ; 
an arrested inflection is called an attitude ; and an habitual 
attitude is called a bearing. 

The hand has three sides or faces, — the palm, the back, 
and the edges, — and one of these is always presented 
in gesture. In describing the hand, Delsarte invests the 
palm with the office of revealing the vital nature; the 
back he makes the agency of the emotive nature, and 
in the sides he finds an agreement or accordance with the 
mental nature. It is the business of the hand in gesture 
to define, which it does with the index finger or the open 
hand agitated perpendicularly ; to indicate, by pointing 
with the fore-finger, or by a toss of the hand toward the 
object ; to assert, by throwing out one or both hands, 
palms supine ; to affirm, by placing or slapping the fore- 
finger, or two fingers, or the whole hand into the palm of 
the other, or by slapping the hand or pounding the fist 
on any convenient surface, as in heated discussion. 

An affirmation is an emphasized assertion ; the hand 
denies by being raised perpendicularly, palm outward, lat- 
erally toward the one who is the object of the denial. 
Rejection is often a mild form of denial, and is expressed 
in the hand by holding it dependent from the wrist with 



&8 An Hour with Delsarie 

the back presented, and agitating it forward and back 
with a sort of pushing movement. Impatience is mani- 
fested by the hand in a restless tapping of the fore-finger, 
or the opening and closing of the fists, or a snapping of 
the fingers and thumb. In the act of concealment the 
back of the hand is shown, the palm being toward the 
object to be concealed ; while in revealment the palm is 
exposed. 

The hand inquires by being raised extended, palm pre- 
sented, fingers and thumb slowly expanding and directed 
at an angle upwards. Acquiescence is shown by a slight 
waving apart of the hands, fingers pointing downward, 
palms presented. Anger is sometimes declared by the 
tightly clinched fists. Malicious triumph is betrayed by 
the feverish rubbing of the hands as in washing them ; 
self-complacency by the soft friction of the palms. 

The hand caresses by tenderly stroking or patting the 
object of the attention. The hand expresses the idea 
of moral support by being held out horizontally, palms 
supine. These and a great variety of mental operations 
are revealed in the inflections of the hand ; as, for in- 
stance, the slow moving of the thumb over the tips of 
the fingers to denote the exercise of reflection, reasoning, 
and the efforts of formulating thought. 

Exercise 9. The student is recommended to the con- 



Exercises for Harmonic Poise 89 

Stent practice of these and of the attitudes of the hands 
shown in the postures described in Chapter VII., with 
others o( his own devising ; this practice, if persistently 
followed, will speedily deliver the pupil from the monotony 
of a few habitual gestures, by imparting a variety of ex- 
pressive coloring to his movements. 

Exercise 10. Standing in a normal position, raise the 
right arm by means of the wrist to a level with the waist 
and energize it ; holding it thus before you at a slight 
angle with the floor, describe the figure eight, moving 
with a light, wavy motion of the hand, progressing to the 
right as far as the arm will move gracefully ; repeat this 
exercise with the left arm, progressing to the left, then 
with both arms. 

Exercise 11. In the same position, elevate the arm by 
means of the wrist to a level with the shoulder and 
energize it, as before ; now, with the same yielding 
motion, as last described, outline the character eight on 
the opposite wall, moving to the right as before, until the 
space of a quadrant has been covered ; again, repeat with 
the left arm, then with both. 

Exercise 12. Again, by means of the wrists elevate 
the arms until they are directed toward the ceiling, then 
energize them, and throw the outline of the figures above 
the head, covering a quarter circle, as before. Repeat 

9 



90 An Hour with Delsarte 

once more with the left arm, and then with both arms ; 
vary this exercise by presenting the edges of the hand 
and cutting the figures sidewise, instead of with the palm. 

Exercise 13, Raise the right arm directly in front of you, 
wrist directing, palm down, energize on a plane just below 
the chest; now move to the right, the elbow leading, let- 
ting the movement flow into the wrist and hand; then 
reverse, bringing the hand back to the body, marking the 
articulations successively at the shoulder, elbow, and wrist 
as you do so, just as you would strike a broken chord of 
music. A common fault with stiff, awkward people is that 
they move not only their arms, but all parts of the body, 
as if it were one piece, and not composed of parts hung 
together by joints which, whenever the leg, waist, or arm 
are moved, must all speak, as it were ; repeat the above 
exercise with the left arm, then with both ; again practise 
them with the palms of the hand upward. 

Exercise 14. Again extend the arms directly in front, 
wrist leading, rotate arm, the hand passive, energize, close 
fingers in hand, close wrist, close elbow, raise elbow hori- 
zontally on a line with the shoulders, unfold elbow, unfold 
wrist, unfold fingers, and finally expand and energize the 
entire arm; now return to first position by closing fingers, 
closing wrist, closing elbow, dropping elbow, then unfold 
elbow, unfold wrist, unfold fingers, energize the entire arm 



r\e s x/oe6 &lliicl 
\& 6pirif <5ore 




Exercises for Harmonic Poise 91 

in front, palm upward, now surrender the arm to its normal 

position ; repeat this exercise many times, until you can 
close and unfold the joints of the arm freely and rapidly 
in any and all directions and at any altitude. 

The law of harmony demands that parallel movements 
shall be consecutive; that is, one agent of expression lead- 
ing, the others following, and that the movement of two 
agents in opposition shall be made simultaneously. 

Exercise 15. The mind directs the body to move right, 
the right arm follows the inclination of the body, the wrist 
leading; next the left arm follows the right, the wrist lead- 
ing ; the head has simultaneously moved to the left in 
opposition ; now reverse the movement, moving the body 
and arms successively and rhythmically to the left, at the 
same time moving the head to the right; repeat the move- 
ment obliquely to the right and then to the left, raising 
the arms to different altitudes. 

Exercise 16. Bow the body at waist line; as you do so 
raise the arms back in opposition. 

Exercise 17. Bow the head on the chest, simultaneously 
raising the arms, wrists leading; now raise the head as you 
lower the arms. 

Exercise 18. Assume the attitude of vehemence, the 
right leg forward and strong with the knee bent ; at the 
same time raise the left arm forward obliquely and the right 



92 An Hour with Delsarte 

arm backward obliquely; with a slight elastic spring re- 
sume a normal position; now reverse, taking a marked step 
forward with the left foot, at the same time raising the 
right arm, wrist leading, obliquely to the right, and the 
left arm obliquely backward and to the left; now resume 
a normal poise, which is the correct position when in 
repose ; repeat these steps over and over again until they 
can be taken accurately, with the arms in perfect opposi- 
tion, as fast as they can be called off. 

Exercise 19. Continue the study of the arms by con- 
sidering the shoulder, which when raised indicates sensi- 
bility, or an emotion of extreme joy or hate, as must be 
determined by the expression of the face. Grief, pros- 
tration, or concentration droops the shoulders. 

Exercise 20. Assume the different attitudes of the 
elbow; subordination of self turns the elbows in, while 
assertion and self-conceit turn them outward. 

Exercise 21. Consider the attitudes of the entire arm; 
when in repose they fall just in front of the hips. 

The arms crossed lightly on the breast indicates a spirit- 
ual resignation of the will ; if they are tightly folded and 
raised on a level with the shoulders, it indicates suppressed 
passion or a concentration of vital force. 

The hands resting on the hips, the elbows turned out, 
indicates impertinence, self-assertion, boasting; the arms 



Jixcrciscs for IIarmo)iic Poise 93 

carried directly forward, hands prone, fingers widely sep- 
arated and energized, the body simultaneously moving 
backward in opposition, is the expression of passionate ex- 
plosion, which is the result of a concentration of strong 
feeling. 

Exercise 22. Assume the attitude of exaltation, right leg 
advanced and strong, that is, bearing the entire weight 
simultaneously ; raise the right arm with a spiral move- 
ment to the highest altitude, the fore-finger prominent; 
now make a transition of the weight to the left leg, simul- 
taneously raising the left arm with a spiral movement into 
an attitude of vindication ; the right arm will be slightly 
raised and to the right, hand prone. 

Exercise 23. Kneel on the left knee, the left hand on 
the chest and the right arm extended in appeal ; rise and 
kneel on the right knee, simultaneously clasping the hands 
in front of the chest in entreaty ; rise and kneel on the 
left knee, at the same time extending both arms in sup- 
plication ; repeat this over and over again, first on one 
knee and then on the other. 

lixevcise 24. We are told that " harmony was born of 
contrasts." We will continue our practice of the opposi- 
tion between the head and arm by first raising the right 
arm as we lower the head on the chest ; next carry the 
arm to the right, striking all the notes or articulations, 



94 An Hour with Delsarte 

simultaneously carrying the head to the left; now raise 
the left arm as you carry the head back to normal poise 
midway between the shoulders ; now lower the head as you 
cross hands upon the breast; now raise the head as you 
expand the arms horizontally; finally surrender the arms, 
letting them drop at the side in normal position; repeat 
the exercise, the left arm leading. 

Exercise 25. Now we will try a more complex com- 
bination. Standing in a correct position of repose, raise 
the right arm and rotate it into an attitude of appeal ; now 
energize the arm, at the same time lowering the chin as in 
accusation; next swing the arm over the head, the hand 
in the attitude of exasperation, head lowered, chin thrown 
forward as in cursing; next drop the hand on the back of 
the head, which has risen in opposition to meet it, — the 
attitude indicates remorse (the attitude would be strength- 
ened if the left hand were on the chest or carried to the 
back of the head also) ; now, without separating the head 
and arm, allow them to fall on the chest in deep thought 
or grief; now raise the head and rotate to the right, which 
will allow the arm to fall across the chest, and you have 
an attitude signifying reproach; now rotate the head to 
the left and the arm to the right, and the attitude is that 
of rejection or repulsion; raise the left arm, rotate the 
head to a position midway between the shoulders, rotate 



Exercises for Harmonic Poise 95 

the arms into attitude of supplication, the body carried 
forward on the advanced leg; new rotate the arms until 
the hands are prone in an attitude of benediction as they 
drop to normal position, the body also settling on the 
back foot. 






g6 An Hour with Delsarte 



XV. 



THE HEAD, EYE, NOSE, MOUTH, AND MECHANICAL 
MOVEMENTS. 

A WELL-POISED head is the fitting accompaniment of 
a shapely person, and usually bespeaks a well-or- 
dered mind, and goes far besides to atone for the physical 
imperfections of other members, being the objective point 
of the line of vision and therefore most constantly under 
the criticism of the eye. 

We admire an elastic step, a yielding curve of the pliant 
arm, and a supple grace in the carriage of the body; but 
add to these the cnarm of a nicely balanced head, and the 
picture is complete ; we have the finished grace of an 
undoubted personal bearing. 

A normal poise of the head requires that it shall be 
carried midway between the shoulders, neither raised nor 
depressed. The ruling state of the being is revealed 
through the various attitudes of the head. For instance, 
a person of a sympathetic nature who is full of trust and 
tenderness will habitually incline the head forward or 
toward the object of his esteem; while, on the contrary, 
a person who is cold, unsympathetic, and distrustful will 



Ok Je&r, I joroof 
<s\£f &b°irf if ! ' 




The Head 97 

habitually and naturally withdraw the head backward. Bear- 
ing in mind that motion is in obedience to the thought 

or emotion which created it, it will readily be seen that 
reflection, humility of spirit, subordination of self, and all 
kindred sentiments will concentrate or lower the head 
upon the chest; and if the sentiment be a complex one of 
humility, trust, and affection, we have the spiritual attitude 
of veneration or adoration, which is also complex in that 
it is first lowered and then inclined forward with an upward 
inflection. 

In the same way the complex feelings of scrutiny and 
distrust will produce an attitude of suspicion, jealousy, hate, 
or envy, which first lowers the head and then draws it 
backward. All emotions of exaltation throw the head up- 
ward ; if the feeling of exaltation is invaded by that of 
trust and resignation, it first throws the head backward and 
then forward with an upward inflection. If the feeling of 
distrust and self-assertion is mingled with that of exaltation, 
we have the attitude of arrogance or defiance ; the head 
is first thrown upward and then drawn backward. The 
study of the attitudes of the head and those of all parts 
of the body, especially the various expressions of the eye, 
nose, and mouth, should be carefully practised before a 
mirror. 

Most people consult their mirrors for the single purpose 



98 An Hour with Delsarte 

of seeing their attractiveness ; we should study them for 
the purpose of seeing ourselves as others see us. The 
study of the profile view of the face and head should 
not be omitted : some features will bear a straight profile 
view; others of a warmer nature look best with a convex 
exposure of the features ; still others require that the 
head be turned away. 

THE EYE. 

In the law of sequence or priority the eye is the first 
agent of expression to respond to the workings of the 
mind, and reveals its rest or activity. Quick, restless move- 
ments of the eye are not an indication of intellectual 
activity ; it is only so when the glance is observant as 
well as quick. Intellectual sluggishness is revealed through 
the slow movements of the muscles of the eyeball. Active, 
energetic, practical people have a direct, near glance, while 
speculative dreamers look far away. The muscles about 
the eye are the active agents of expression. " The eyeball 
is simply an indicator of the direction from which an im- 
pression comes or to which an impression goes." 

THE NOSE. 

When we are in a normal condition, — that is, free from 
any particular emotion or excitement, — the nostrils, like 



The Mouth 99 

the other agents of expression, arc in repose. Excitement 
and passion dilate the nostrils ; while with people who are 
selfish, hard, and cruel, the nostrils are contracted. 

People who are aggressive in temperament manifest 
their natures by wrinkling the nose laterally between the 
eyebrows ; if a feeling of cruelty is added to that of 
aggression, we have the expression of hate, which also 
contracts the nostrils. Scorn and anger also dilate the 
nostrils. Contempt raises the nostrils and contracts them. 

The nose plays a greater part in the expression of the 
face than we are apt to imagine, and is consequently 
often overlooked. 

THE MOUTH. 

The mouth, like the nose, plays its part in expression, 
and corresponds with the other agents : when in repose 
the lips are normal or lightly closed ; firmness of purpose 
compresses them tightly together; and if there is any ad- 
ditional feeling of disapproval the corners of the mouth 
will be depressed. Abandon and suspense slightly part 
the lips, while in astonishment they are completely apart. 

Grief depresses the corners of the mouth, lips slightly 
apart; while horror parts the lips widely, corners much 
depressed. Joy and pleasure elevate the corners of the 
mouth and slightly part the lips, while approval c'. 



I 



ioo An Hour with Dels arte 

them. The expression of an otherwise attractive face is 
often sadly marred by the habitual drooping of the corners 
of the mouth ; it usually accompanies imaginary troubles 
or a sour disposition. 

HOW TO SIT. 

Settle into your seat; do not drop, nor flop, nor bounce, 
nor plump into it. If the seat is an arm-chair, rest one 
hand lightly on the arm, and carry the head slightly for- 
ward in bending the body as it inclines toward the seat; 
settle pliantly backward, touching the back of the chair at 
the waist-line first, and successively each joint in the artic- 
ulations of the back until the neck is reached and the 
head falls easily into a restful attitude. Many well-mean- 
ing people make those about them feel uncomfortable by 
sitting rigidly erect like vestry deacons or court function- 
aries. To put others at their ease you should be at ease 
yourself. Sit in repose, the muscles relaxed ; do not ener- 
gize the shoulders and limbs in bending forward as if you 
were built on a movable frame ; move with suppleness, 
letting your action be reflectively shown in all parts of 
the body. 

HOW TO BOW. 

In polite usage the pretentious formal bow is no longer 
decorous; it has been superseded by the mere graceful 



Mechanical Movements 101 

inclination of the body, bending slightly from the ankles; 
and this form prevails both on the platform and in the 
parlor. Out of vogue too is the familiar nod of the head 
in recognizing another. An inclination of the body is the 
genteel form of recognition, which has the merit of being 
graceful as well. 



The agents of expression having been studied in detail. 
and the mechanical action of all parts of the body having 
been in a degree mastered, it has been found desirable 
to arrange an attractive series of mechanical movements 
which should call into play all the muscles of the bod)', 
and which should be practised in regular order to suitable 
music. In the first place, the music is inspiring and makes 
a pleasure out of what might otherwise seem a task ; be- 
sides, it has the additional value of taking the pupil's mind 
away from himself and of allowing him to make the move- 
ments unconsciously, which is of the highest importance. 

Every teacher will arrange his own order of what might 
perhaps be termed exhibitions illustrative of the underly- 
ing principles of the system; this will be based upon his own 
personal taste and experience, and must be executed with 
accuracy and precision, accustoming the class to rapid and 
true transitions from one movement or attitude to another. 
frequently varying the order of the transitions, that they 



102 An Hour with Delsarte 

may be elastic both in mind and body, readily responding 
to any and all conditions of thought and expression. 

A very good plan is to begin by practising the walk; 
select a quiet air by which the class can walk (not march) 
easily and naturally about the room. Let the music change 
to the air of " Home, Sweet Home," the walk changing 
to suit the music; let the whole body assume the attitude 
of reflection or concentration : the steps are taken very 
slowly, the weight lingering on the advanced foot, the 
back foot raised very gradually. Now let the music sud- 
denly change to " The House is Haunted " or any similar air, 
which will enable the class to change the slow, concentric 
walk to that of secrecy and stealth ; let the arms and 
body assume the attitude of attention or eagerness, take 
the steps cautiously almost on tiptoe; let each member of 
the class regard another with alternating expressions and 
gestures of secrecy, admonition, gentle warning, and co- 
quetry; let the class move noiselessly about the room 
keeping step with the rhythm of the music. Now let the 
music change to " Amaryllis " or any minuet time: let every 
other one in the class join hand with the one in front, and 
move about the room to the stately time of the music, 
alternating the steps and attention outward, or at right 
angles, and then inward toward each other; then let 
the music change to the first movement, and so on ; 



It C5,n do wo h<Nrm , 
poor thino' 




* 



A Ice ha )iii a I Movements 1 03 

this exercise will be found very attractive and very 
improving. 

Numberless exercises can be devised for the arm move- 
ments, suiting the motions to whatever music may be se- 
lected, or vice versa. In our own work we have found it 
desirable to have the music specially composed and ar- 
ranged to suit the action. The air of " The Shepherd 
Boy " can be followed very easily by starting with the 
weight first on the left leg; as the music begins let the 
body and right arm move right, the wrist carrying the hand, 
which is passive to the highest altitude ; suddenly suspend, 
the body falling into normal position at the same time ; let 
the movement flow rhythmically into the left side and sus- 
pend as before; finally take the movement up horizon- 
tally with both arms, bringing them back with control, 
to suit the music, and finishing with a little rotary 
motion of the hands; repeat this process by raising the 
arms directly in front of you, then repeat earning them 
obliquely to the right and left; now repeat the entire 
process from beginning to end, only instead of suspend- 
ing the arm when you have it raised to the highest 
altitude, reverse the wrist and bring the arm back with 
control, letting the movement flow through all the articu- 
lations of the arm and the movement of each arm be 
taken up instantly with the cessation of the other. A 



104 An Hour with Delsarte 

little air called " The Flower Song " is very pretty for 
this exercise. If you like you can repeat this entire pro- 
cess by giving impulse to the movement from the upper 
arm instead of the wrist, letting a feeling of prostration 
gradually bring the arm back to its normal position. The 
process of writing the figure eight at different altitudes, as 
previously described, and what is sometimes termed the 
" feather movement" is very pretty practised to light music. 
Next, practise the oppositions by arraying the class in 
rows across the further end of the room ; let them advance 
to suitable music, first stepping forward with the right foot 
and simultaneously raising the left arm forward and the 
right arm backward ; then step forward with the left foot 
and simultaneously raise the right arm forward and the 
left arm backward ; let the steps and movements of the 
arm flow rhythmically one with the other ; advance the class 
as far as the limits of the room will allow, and then let 
them retreat with the same movements. Now arrange a 
series of attitudes expressive of various sentiments or emo- 
tions, after the manner elsewhere described and illustrated 
in this book ; don't compel every member of the class to 
assume the attitude just exactly alike ; let each convey the 
idea in the way that is most characteristic and becoming 
to himself, that having been decided upon previous to 
the ensemble exercise. Select some music which consists 



Mechanical Movements 105 

of a succession of chords; let the class assume the various 

attitudes and hold each through one or two bars of music ; 
close the series with an attitude which will make a strong 
climax, such as the command " Go," or exaltation, resig- 
nation, or triumph. 



io6 An Hour with Delsarle 



XVI. 

THE STAGE. —CONCLUSION. 

\li 7'HO has not rapturously listened to a good story- 
teller ! Who has not eagerly followed him word 
by word from rise to climax, and laughed at and heartily 
applauded the point ! No matter apparently how indiffer- 
ent the story itself may be, that is something we neither 
have time nor care to consider ; we only know that it 
pleases us, but just how or by what means we do not 
stop to analyze, and we never discover until we hear the 
same story fall utterly flat, or lose half its charm on the 
lips of another; then we first realize that it was the story- 
teller, not the story, which most attracted us. How often 
the same is true of a play ! We recall its name and the 
qualities of the well-remembered characters, and we are 
in the habit of ascribing the pleasurable sensations which 
accompany these recollections to the merit of the play 
itself; but what we recall, what really afforded us pleasure, 
was oftentimes only the charm of the actor's personality, 
and not any feature of the play at all. The proof of this 



The Stage 107 

is seen when we witness the same play given with an infe- 
rior cast, and wonder what there was in that play thai 
interested us once. Herein is shown the soundness of the 
plea so generally advocated for the possession of unques- 
tioned natural endowment in those who adopt the stage 
for their calling; and while the feasibility of cultivating 
natural gifts is not here denied, but on the contrary is 
strongly supported, no intelligent exponent of Delsarte 
will pretend that these gifts can be acquired or their ab- 
sence supplied by any substitute, through any system of 
inculcation yet invented. 

So the question resolves itself into a discussion of ways 
and means : given the natural or crude material, the prob- 
lem is, how shall that material be made most available in 
the shortest time? Shall we have a systematic plan of 
study, as in the other arts and professions ; or shall the 
student of the stage alone, of all students, be compelled to 
submit the development of his talents to the caprice of 
chance and irregular study, and be obliged to content 
himself with an empirical self-graduation in lieu of the 
diploma of proficiency honorably conferred by a recog- 
nized institution or qualified body? 

This is the question ; and until it is answered, only the 
most masterful gifts can ever hope for complete expansion 
and recognition; the prize is inaccessible to many admi- 



108 An Hour with Delsarte 

rably endowed who are debarred from the lists through 
purely circumstantial disqualifications, which are unknown 
to other artistic pursuits. Under the present conditions 
brass is more valuable than brains, and many who are 
destitute of that very useful attribute are shut out en- 
tirely in consequence. 

This condition is especially lamentable in this day of 
marvellous accuracy in stage productions, when the public 
taste, grown fastidious through familiarity with the stage 
triumphs of master intellects, demands a greater and 
greater degree of proficiency in him who would win the 
highest honors. Once the actor was a vagabond ; now he 
cannot succeed in the best sense of the term unless he is 
a gentleman. He must not only have the gift, but he must 
be able to make the best use of it. He must be interest- 
ing personally; and to be this requires something more 
than the possession of a good voice and presence and the 
ability to spout blank verse. 

To be interesting demands the skilful exercise of the 
many subtile graces of mind and person which are more 
intuitive and inspirational than acquisitional. The modern 
school of acting appears to foster the growth of entertain- 
ing peculiarities in the individual, and to discard the per- 
functory performance of the imitators of traditionary 
models ; and we recognize quaint portraitures of character 



The Stage 109 

types to-day which would have been taboo* ►lemishes 

less than a quarter of .1 century back. 

It is a very simple matter to imitate that which is infe- 
rior to our own development; the difficult thing is to 
represent that which is superior. There is a wide distinc- 
tion between a material and a mental differentiation of 
character. The former imitates the singularities of the 
person : it is objective or external ; the latter illustrates 
peculiarities of the mind : it is subjective or internal. The 
one attacks the eccentricities of character from without, 
the other from within; the one studies an individual and 
photographs him; the other studies individuals of a cla-< 
and reproduces a type. The one copies, the other cre- 
ates. This distinction is aptly shown in the masterly psy- 
chological studies of Henry Irving, whose towering intel- 
lectual strength is able to sweep out of sight, or thrust 
into the background, the most striking of physical marks. 
leaving the mind to the undiverted contemplation of the 
wonderful creations of his genius. 

Viewed from an artistic standpoint, the material side of 
our nature is antagonistic to the spiritual ; and whichsoever 
of the two is in the ascendency, or is predominant in our 
nature, that side overshadows and belittles the other. If 
the material or physical man is superior to the intellec- 
tual, then for art purposes the intellectual or spiritual man 



no A n Hour with Delsarte 

is ineffectual ; because in the efforts of the spiritual to 
manifest itself, the presence of the material so completely 
dominates consciousness that the sense of the spiritual is 
obliterated. 

In the domain of art, the function of the body is to 
reflect the soul ; it is the material expression of the im- 
material part of us ; it is only when the intellectual holds 
an undoubted supremacy over the physical, as in the case 
of the famous artist named above, that we lose sight of 
the material altogether and enjoy a feast of the spirit. 

This is the test of greatness ; those only are great who 
have so disciplined the body that it has become the servile 
creature of the soul, mirroring with equal truth its lightest 
fancies and its gravest thoughts, at the master's will. 

This is the end ; to reach this end in the shortest pos- 
sible time is the desideratum, and it is the raison d'etre of 
countless theories, systems, and speculations, all of which 
contain elements of truth, and have contributed their quota 
to the sum of accumulated facts. To reach this end is of 
more importance to us than the means we shall employ 
to do it. 

The possession of the thing is what we aim at, not the 
means of possessing it ; and having obtained the thing, 
we enjoy the possession without troubling ourselves about 
how we came into it. To learn to express what we feel 



The St i i i 

of human nature and know of human character, thi 
the primary consideration ; how or by what process of 
training we shall attain to this knowledge is a secondary 

matter; but we must have training. No natural talent is 
sufficient of itself. No natural endowment can be exer- 
cised at its best without the discipline of experience to give 
it breadth and scope, and the wider the experience the 
broader the result. The most gifted among us must learn 
to know himself, as it is only through this knowledge 
that he can know others, and therefore know how to affect 
others. 

Delsarte's philosophy of physical expression enables the 
student to analyze and classify his own motions and their 
corresponding emotions. It places expression on a sure 
and certain footing; it makes the actor independent of his 
moods and delivers him from the thraldom of an untoward 
temperament. It enables him at will to put on the sem- 
blance of a feeling which he does not at the moment 
experience ; for has he not already analyzed it, and is he 
not familiar with its source and stop? The real feeling 
cannot always be commanded at the moment when it i- 
required, hence the necessity for a perfect simulation to 
preserve the illusion. Delsarte's methods are Nature's 
methods systematized for the purposes of art. When the 
formulae of the Delsartian principles first reached this 



112 An Hour with Delsarte 

country, they were seized upon by all manner of charla- 
tans whose heralding of the " New System of Acting " 
and " Acting Made Easy " brought the subject into a dis- 
repute from which it is but just emerging. From the 
announcements of these quacks one was given to under- 
stand that what Delsarte had discovered was a purchasable 
commodity, and that a term of twenty lessons with its 
dispensers would equip one with a supply of ready-made 
tragedy and compressed pathos which could be taken 
home, and, as it were, turned on at will. And the spirit 
of guileless, aspiring youth rose to an exuberant state. 
The result was a storm of " Juliets," " Ophelias," and 
" Melnottes " whose measured artificial woes carried un- 
measured real distress to many innocent on-lookers. 

These absurdities — which are scarcely exaggerated — 
become transparent when it is remembered that Delsarte's 
reasoning is in perfect accord with the best monuments 
of tradition, and with the results of the most enlightened 

o 

research. It fully recognizes the fact that the artistic, 
like the poetic, temperament is essentially a matter of in- 
heritance, not of study; that its promptings are intuitive, 
not volitional; and that while cultivation can do much to 
hasten development and expansion, it cannot supply the 
material to be developed and expanded. It may broaden 
and enlighten; it was never intended to originate or create. 



No UcUS- c&n GlTOWU 

my passion. °f remorse 




The Stage 1 1 3 

This is all quite in keeping with Delsarte's teach; 
which, while they recognize no school, prove their univer- 
sality by comprehending all schools. 

All great artists have been Delsartians, — unwittingly in 
most instances, but nevertheless in full sympathy with the 
opinions he disseminated. Most actors of note who work 
systematically pursue, sometimes without knowing it, his 
explicit directions for cultivating and economizing physical 
resources. An eminent tragedienne now residing in this 
country, in a conversation with the writer, disclaimed any 
knowledge of Delsarte, and in the next breath uncon- 
sciously avowed herself his stanch supporter by naming 
among the features of her daily practice physical exercises 
which are fundamental in Delsarte's system of mechanic- ; 
the reason for this is perhaps explainable in the tendency 
of broad and comprehensive minds to travel in similar 
channels, thus reaching the same destination, though going 
by different routes. 

Other things being equal, the actor with a system has 
an infinite advantage over him who is without any. In 
preparing a character for representation on the stage, the 
former is able to keep constantly narrowing the plane over 
which his efforts are dispersed ; from the universal and 
general going to the specific and particular, and by thus 
concentrating his thought, he effects an immense savin 



U4 An Hour with Delsarte 

time and labor. He applies a few simple tests and ascer- 
tains to which class his character belongs ; knowing this, 
he is able to tell which of the three phases of the being 
is apt to predominate or rule, and the order of subordina- 
tion of the other two. This enables him to disengage the 
salient traits and features of the character, and being 
already in possession of their corresponding outward equiv- 
alents, he gives prominence to them, sinking the others 
by contrast ; thus his work is greatly simplified. 

His methodless brother, on the other hand, is like the 
much-quoted rudderless ship ; he is plunged at once into 
an infinite sea of doubt, where he is left experimenting 
and speculating, squandering his time and energies until 
some temporary harbor of thought is sighted in which he 
takes refuge. That student fails, however, to grasp the 
significance of Delsarte's labors in behalf of aesthetic science 
who imagines that a knowledge of the mere mechanics or 
the mere theory will suffice to give him command over his 
own resources in the interpretation of human character in 
art work. 

No, this is not enough ; it is the thoughtful merging 
of the two. It is the idea, feeling, or emotion speaking 
through cultivated mediums that touches the subtlest 
chords of harmony. When it is remembered how much 
meaning can be conveyed by a timely and responsive 



The Si i 15 

look, or a significant movement of the head or arm, what 
a language the perfected whole must speak! Our work will 
always bear the stamp of ourselves upon it: and just so 
much of head and heart as we put into that work, just 
so much will be reflected in the result. The creation 
can never be above the creator. 



THE END. 






• ^ssyw 




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